As followers of this blog know, the panel studying the death of Princess Di in Paris in 1997 said that the failure to wear a seat belt was a substantial contributing factor to her death. After all, the only person who survived the limousine crash was wearing a seat belt. With prom season coming, Boston personal injury lawyer Neil Burns urges Massachusetts’ teenage drivers to drive safely, avoid any and all alcohol before driving, and follow the zero texting and cellphone law. But on an every day basis, wear a seat belt in Massachusetts.
In a horrific reminder of this safety rule, last week a 21 year old involved in a Somerville car accident was charged with motor vehicle homicide as a result of a collision that resulted in the deaths of two teenage girls after a party Somerville. The police also charged the driver with drunk driving, speeding and motor vehicle homicide in Somerville District Court. Three other passengers who were wearing their seat belts were not seriously injured. There is a Massachusetts penalty for failing to wear a seat belt of a 60-day loss of license.