Seatbelts Credited with Saving Multiple Lives in an I-15 Rollover

Just over two weeks ago, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that an unsafe lane change was under investigation as the primary cause of a not-quite deadly rollover accident on Interstate 15 (I-15). Luckily, no one died in the horrific accident. The Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) credits seatbelt use and child safety seats as what kept the passengers alive. Here’s a look at what happened, and how seatbelts can save lives in severe auto accidents. 

Not far from Farmington, a 28-year-old woman was traveling northbound in an SUV with three young passengers. The driver, while crossing several lanes of traffic in Centerville, clipped the right front corner of a pickup truck. Reportedly, both the SUV and pickup truck rolled and crashed as a result. 

The pickup truck’s driver, a 40-year-old man, was sent to a nearby hospital in fair condition, while his female passenger was completely uninjured, says UHP. The SUV driver was left with minor injuries, and two of the three children passengers were sent to Primary Children’s Hospital—also in fair condition. 

In Farmington and elsewhere in the state of Utah, everyone in a moving vehicle must make safety a priority. Everyone has heard about the importance of wearing seatbelts, and how they can save lives in what would otherwise be fatal auto accidents. Some people complain that seatbelts are uncomfortable as an excuse to not wear them, but UHP strongly encourages vehicle passengers and operators to use them. After all, seatbelts are precisely what saved the lives of the six individuals involved in the I-15 rollover. 

Without their seatbelts, the passengers and operators probably would not have survived. To motivate people in Farmington and throughout Utah to wear seatbelts, a new seatbelt law was passed just months ago. If drivers and passengers are caught not using the restraining device, police can now pull them over and distribute $45 tickets, says Good4Utah.com.

Last year, of the 72 reported fatal auto accidents in Utah, 48 percent of passengers and drivers weren’t wearing seatbelts. Since the law has been passed, studies have shown that deaths from serious auto accidents have decreased by 17 percent. The fact that this law was only passed a few months ago makes this statistic even more significant. 

Suffice it to say, seatbelts were made for a reason, and failure to wear them properly can cost lives. Thankfully, everyone involved in the recent I-15 rollover wore their seatbelts and most of them only suffered minor injuries. In Farmington and everywhere in Utah, vehicle drivers and passengers need to take their safety seriously to avoid potentially deadly outcomes. 

Aubrey Andersen-Bakker is a legal writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry.