Virginia mother lost son after he was thrown from a moving car, now she wants tougher seatbelt laws

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Experts say buckling up is the best way to keep you and your family safe on the roads, yet data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows Virginia is the worst state in the country when it comes to people wearing a seat belt. 

That’s why one Virginia mom, inspired by a tragedy of her own, is trying to convince the General Assembly to pass tougher seat belt laws in Virginia. 

“You get that knock on the door,” Christy King told 8News at the State Capitol on Thursday. “There’s the policemen there, the chaplain. We just knew something was wrong.”

King’s 18-year-old son, Christopher King, was killed on July 4, 2020, when he was thrown from a moving vehicle in James City County. 

"It was the one time he didn’t wear a seatbelt that took his life," King said. "The other three kids in the car survived because they had their seatbelts on."

Christopher’s friend, Alvin Costa, who wasn’t in the car but arrived quickly on the scene, tried to give him CPR.

“It is a memory that I will never be able to wipe from my memory,” Costa told 8News.

In memory of her son, Christy King started the Christopher King Foundation. Its motto is “Saving Lives One Seat Belt At a Time.” 

“Every single time you get in the car, make it the first thing you do because it may save your life,” King said. 

As part of her foundation's work, both King and Costa were at the General Assembly Building on Thursday lobbying lawmakers to pass a bill during this year’s session to require all adult passengers in a car to wear a seat belt. Currently, adults are only required to wear seat belts in the front seat.

“Virginia is the worst state in the county for seatbelt usage at only 73%. The national average is 92%. We have a long way to go,” King said, referencing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

King says her goal is honoring her son while ensuring no parent has to go through what she had to.

“No parent should ever have to lose their child, no child their parent, no friend lose their friend because of not wearing a seatbelt,” King told 8News.

On Thursday, the Senate Transportation Committee approved the bill that King was advocating for requiring all adults to wear a seat belt. If it’s passed by the full Senate, it will head to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his full consideration.