If a proposal by Mayor de Blasio becomes law, some cab riders in New York City could soon receive a ticket and have to pay a fine if they don’t buckle up. The proposal is part of the mayor’s Vision Zero plan.
The law, if passed, would apply only to children under the age of 16 and to people who ride in the front seat. It would close a current loophole that allows passengers in taxis to ride without wearing a seat belt.
According to the Taxi and Limousine Commission Commissioner, half of the people who ride in cabs in the city do not wear their seat belt. Because they “save lives…this is a common sense approach to expanding their use.” The commissioner goes on to say that although they have been successful in using technology to solve some of the pedestrian safety areas in the city, a seat belt is often just the answer you need.
According to the commissioner, most people in New York with whom the commission has spoken didn’t even know that seat belts weren’t already required for passengers in cabs. The fines for people ticketed under the proposed law would be from $25 to $100.
Seat belts are an important safety feature. According to the National Safety Council, when worn correctly, seat belts are the best protection against suffering an injury in a car accident. However, those who are injured in a car accident in New York may find that their failure to wear a seat belt and who are in an injury car accident could received reduced damages.
If you were injured in a car accident and were not wearing a seat belt, an experienced personal injury attorney can provide you with information on whether that factor could affect a settlement or an award at trial.
Source: WABC-TV, “Mayor pushes for new seatbelt law in NYC taxis,” April. 21, 2015
