Bishop v. Takata Corp.

1 KAUGER, J.;

11 2 We are asked to answer the question of whether the Oklahoma Mandatory Seat Belt Use Act, 1 [the Act] precludes the introduction of evidence of the use or nonuse of seat belts in a manufacturers' products liability claim based on a defective seatbelt restraint system in Oklahoma. The applicable statute, 47 0.$.1991 § 12-420, 2 provides that "the use or nonuse of seat belts shall not be submitted into evidence in any civil suit in Oklahoma." The question is answered as follows: although the Act prevents a person from being penalized in a civil proceeding for choosing not to…