The Barnes Firm

The Most Vulnerable Person in a Car

• February 16, 2017
• Sandy

SAN FRANCISCO – If you’ve ever been in a car crash, you know how devastating they can be for everyone involved. But a new analysis of nearly 4,000 crashes found that passengers often suffered the most severe injuries.

The data, presented by Dr. Amit Gupta at a recent road safety conference, found that passengers accounted for 70-percent of the fatalities in car deadly crashes with passengers present.

A San Francisco car accident lawyer at The Barnes Firm says in most cases, passengers are considered victims and could be entitled to compensation.

“Passengers usually have no control in a traffic collision and they often suffer the most serious injuries in San Francisco,” car accident attorney Landon Vivian said. “It doesn’t matter if they were riding in the vehicle that caused the crash or the car that was struck – it’s our job as personal injury attorneys to help passengers and their families recover the maximum compensation for their injuries.”

Recently, car makers have installed safety features to better protect passengers in crash scenarios. Side-impact air bags and seat belts are now available in every proper seating position. In California, children under the age of 16 are required to wear seat belts in all passenger seats. Adults are strongly encouraged to buckle-up but it is currently not required by state law.

San Francisco car accident attorneys say they’re often innocent parties who have no control in a car crash but there are several ways passengers can reduce their risk of serious injury or death.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a front seat passenger or a back seat passenger, it’s always important to wear a seat belt,” Vivian said. “Although seat belts aren’t requirements in every state, they’ve been shown to effectively reduce the impact of a crash.”

Doctors and safety advocates also urge passengers to pay attention to the road as if they are driving. Not only does this reduce the likelihood of driver distraction; it’s also a second set of eyes on the road. In some cases, a passenger can identify a potential accident several seconds before it occurs and thus, warn the driver of a situation he may not be aware of.

However, passengers may not be able to help avoid every traffic collision. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash, the San Francisco car accident attorneys at The Barnes Firm have helped many passengers obtain the best result possible. Contact them today for a free consultation.

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