With heavy traffic expected during the Labour Day weekend, the Canada Safety Council (CSC) urges motorists and their passengers to buckle up.
?One simple precaution ? wearing a seat-belt ? can mean the difference between life and death,? says CSC president Emile Therien.
National restraint use surveys show that about 90 percent of motorists in urban areas and 85 percent in rural areas wear seat belts. That means
between 10 and 15 percent are unbelted. Yet almost 40 percent of motor vehicle fatalities were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
?This huge disparity shows you are far more likely to survive a crash with your seat-belt on,? maintains Therien, ?or conversely, you are much more likely to be killed if you don?t wear it.?
Unbelted vehicle occupants become missiles. In a serious collision, they can suffer secondary impacts or be ejected. The impact of ejection dramatically reduces the chances of surviving a crash. Moreover, it?s important for everyone in the vehicle to be properly belted. Unbelted occupants can hit other occupants, increasing the risk of injury and death to belted occupants if there is a collision.
A study published in October 2004 found that of all the safety features added to automobiles since 1960, seat belts accounted for over half of all lives saved. The study examined braking improvements, safety belts, air bags, energy-absorbing steering columns, child safety seats, improved roof strength and side impact protection, shatter-resistant windshields and instrument panel upgrades.
According to Transport Canada every percentage point increase in seat belt use results in 23 fewer deaths and 515 fewer injuries each year. Canada?s national objective is 95 percent seat belt use by all occupants, as well as 95 percent proper use of child restraints by 2010.
Buckle up, drive safely ? and if you drink, don?t drive.
