The statistics they provide clearly show why they are concerned. Just between September 7 and September 13 seven people died in car accidents on Ontario roads, and six of those deaths were of people who did not take that extra moment to buckle up their seatbelts.
Those numbers are the most disturbing the OPP had to offer. During 2015, including those six deaths noted above, 42 people in Ontario have died in a car accident without having worn a seatbelt. In the same period last year that figure was 34, the OPP said.
In an effort to convey to drivers and passengers the importance of seatbelts in saving lives and reducing injuries, the OPP, like other police forces, are launching a fall seatbelt program. They will be promoting seatbelt usage and increasing their vigilance in ticketing those without seatbelts.
“Adult seat belt use is the most effective way to save lives and also to reduce injuries in motor vehicle collisions,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair said. “Yet thousands of adults still do not wear their seat belts on every trip. Not wearing a seat belt can be a fatal decision even on short, familiar journeys and at low speeds.
“We know enforcement of seat belt laws does make a difference in getting more people to buckle up, so OPP officers will be diligent during this campaign,” he added.
Seatbelts are mandatory in all Canadian provinces yet all Canadian provinces continue to report deaths attributed to not wearing a restraint (a seatbelt, lapbelt, infant restraint). In B.C. numbers spiked up in 2010 to 89 deaths without seatbelts but dropped to 46 in 2012.
