Kentucky is a busy state, with a number of commercial truckers plying its roads.  A recent seat belt law increased safety in Kentucky by requiring vehicles carrying 15 passengers or less to be equipped with seat belts.  More importantly, drivers and and passengers are required by Kentucky law to wear them.

Kentucky is a busy state, with a number of commercial truckers traveling on our state routes and interstates.  Given that, truck accidents are of course inevitable, and often result in serious injuries which can have permanent consequences. One accident that occurred in 2010 firmly underscored the tendency for many collisions involving commercial trucks to have especially deadly consequences.

That accident occurred on I-65 in Hart County, when a truck and a 15-passenger van collided.  Eleven people died in that crash, including the trucker and 10 of the van’s 12 occupants.

Most of the riders in the van wear not wearing their seat belts, an omission that was well noted in the accident’s aftermath by state law enforcement officials and legislators. They were not breaking any law by their failure to buckle up, since Kentucky law then required seat belt use only in vehicles with 10 or fewer occupants.

Federal seat belt laws apply to vehicles with 16 or more passengers, which are classified as buses. Commentators on the Kentucky accident noted the obvious gap between state and federal law, namely, this: What to do about vehicles with more than 10 but fewer than 16 passengers?

A bill proposing a new seat belt law introduced in the Kentucky Senate addressed that question by seeking to impose belt requirements in vehicles carrying up to 15 passengers. The bill was signed into law in 2012, and has resulted in increased safety on Kentucky highways and interstates.

Since 1924, The attorneys at Hargadon, Lenihan & Herrington, PLLC have represented those who are injured in car, truck and motorcycle accidents in Louisville and across Kentucky.  If you or someone you love has been injured in a motor vehicle accident We invite you to review the recommendations of our clients and the legal industry and contact HLH or call (866) 583-9701 for a free consultation.