Why should Florida citizens care if drivers and passengers refuse to buckle up?
The fact is that all Floridians pay the price for those who do not wear safety belts, through higher health care and insurance costs. The costs of hospital care for an unbuckled driver are 50 percent higher than those for a driver wearing a safety belt. Florida citizens – not the individual – bear 85 percent of those costs. And these costs are further increased in Florida with the added drivers on Florida roads due to tourism. Businesses are paying the price as well. On-the-job crashes cost employers $22,000 per crash and $110,000 per injury due to lost productivity and higher insurance and medical costs.
The fact is that all Floridians pay the price for those who do not wear safety belts, through higher health care and insurance costs. The costs of hospital care for an unbuckled driver are 50 percent higher than those for a driver wearing a safety belt. Florida citizens – not the individual – bear 85 percent of those costs. And these costs are further increased in Florida with the added drivers on Florida roads due to tourism.
