According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there were 27 deaths on Florida’s highways due to auto accidents during the three day Memorial Day week-end.  Nineteen of those 27 fatalities were reportedly not wearing their seatbelts. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that when front seat passengers use the lap/shoulder seatbelts, the risk of death in an auto accident drops by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury drops by 50%.  Florida has had a Child Restraint Law since 1982 and a Safety Belt Law since 1986 and Florida Highway Patrol continues to enforce the law and promote seat belt usage for everyone in the vehicle.  But according to NHTSA’s statistics for 2007, seat belt usage dropped in Florida by 8% while the nation as a whole increased by 7%.

The statistics prove the seat belts save lives, but some individuals either refuse to believe it, or think it will never happen to them.  One can only hope that Floridians will do better in 2008.

The Nissan ricocheted off another vehicle going the same direction and headed directly for a bus stop where it struck three victims. One of the female victims landed on the hood of the Nissan and was carried over 500 feet - all the while the car was mowing down a street sign, bouncing off vehicles and crashing through a hedge. The victim on the hood of the car at last ended up on the ground in the parking lot of a church and did not survive. Another victim taken to a local hospital was stuck by the flying One-Way street sign.

The driver was taken to the hospital with chest pains and it was not determined if the accident caused the pain or the pain caused the accident.

One local police officer likened the car crash scene to that of a billard table as the car bounced off the several cars.