The rate of seat belt use has decreased every year for the last few years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
One mom told News 3 she’d like to change that — after what happened to her son.
Watch:York mom talks teen driving 5 years after son killed in crash
‘We don’t want it to be you;’ York County mom talks safe teen driving 5 years after deadly crash
In 2020, Christy King says her 18-year-old named Christopher was riding in the backseat of a car when it crashed into a ditch. Christy’s son wasn’t wearing a seat belt and died.
“That night was the worst night of our lives I don’t want anyone to ever get that knocked on the door. It just takes that one second to not buckle up and that’s why my Christopher is no longer with us,” said King.
After her son died, King said she wanted to spare other families from feeling her pain by changing Virginia’s laws. Right now, the state does not have a primary seat belt law.
You can get a $25 fine for not wearing a seat belt but it’s only a secondary offense. In other words, police need another reason to pull you over. Seeing you without a seat belt isn’t enough.