Seat Belts and Airbags

Nevada's Seat Belt Law
Nevada law requires all vehicle occupants to wear their seatbelts when driving on public roadways. Nevada’s law is a secondary enforcement law meaning that a vehicle cannot be stopped and cited solely for the occupants not wearing a seat belt; an offense other than failure to wear a seat belt is necessary to stop the vehicle.

Seat belt usage greatly increases the chances of surviving an accident and escaping serious injury. Each year, traffic accidents cause about 41,000 fatalities and 3.4 million injuries. If every front seat occupant buckles up, another 9,500 deaths and 200,000 injuries could be prevented.

79% of Nevadans wear their seat belts on a regular basis, the same as the national rate.

Child Safety Restraints
The child restraint law requires any child who is four years of age and/or weighs less than 40 pounds to use a child safety restraint that meets federal motor vehicle standards, unless the child is in a taxicab or other public vehicle, or there is an emergency situation. Law enforcement officers can stop motorists as a primary offense for not having children buckled up.

Air bags
As with many life-saving inventions, air bags have also caused injuries and fatalities. For an air bag to work effectively, it deploys at an extremely high rate of speed, up to 200 miles per hour. This is faster than a blink of an eye. Air bags DO NOT replace seat belts.

Anti-lock brakes
Many drivers are not sure how to properly engage anti-locks and expect them to stop on a dime, not allowing for assured distances. Under good driving conditions, allow for at least 2-3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.

Other points to remember:

• Keep your foot on the brake. In an emergency braking situation, ABS will do the pumping for you.
• Do not drive ABS-equipped vehicles more aggressively than those without them.
• Aftermarket ABS products, meaning those installed on older vehicles that did not originally have them, are not recommended by safety groups.
• ABS performance may be affected by a change in tire size. Always consult and follow the vehicle owner’s manual recommendations regarding tire replacement.
  

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