It is outdated thinking for passengers to believe they are safer riding in the back seat of an automobile than the front. In newer models, thanks to air bags and other engineering improvements, the front seat might actually be safer.
Regardless of where passengers are seated, not wearing a seat belt is always a bad idea. It significantly increases the odds of being thrown out of the vehicle in an accident.
As the law presently stands in Mississippi, only front-seat passengers are, like drivers, required to wear a seat belt.
There is an effort in the Legislature to change this, but lawmakers disagree on which back-seat passengers to require to buckle up.
The Senate version of the bill would only apply to passengers between the ages of 7 and 17. (Those under 7 are already required to be appropriately restrained anywhere they ride.) The House wants to make the back-seat belting requirement apply to all passengers, including adults.
The House version is the superior idea. Teens might be more risk-prone, but some adults need to be more strongly persuaded to buckle up, too.
