25 years after wearing a seat belt became compulsory, we're still not strapping in.
Today, 31st January 2008, marks the 25th anniversary of compulsory seat belt wearing in the UK. Since its introduction in 1983 this law is estimated to have saved over 50,000 lives however, despite relentless campaigning by UK safety groups, not everyone seems to be getting the message.
RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) estimate that 6% of the population still don’t wear a seat belt when travelling in the front seat of a car, while a staggering 30% still refuse to strap in while sitting in the back seat. The figures are worse for vans with only 69% of drivers and 58% of passengers putting on their seat belt before they leave the curb.
Head of Road Safety at RoSPA, Kevin Clinton, commented: “It is shocking that a stubborn minority of people still do not belt up when they get into a vehicle.” “It may be that some people simply forget to wear their belts and need to be encouraged to get into the habit. Others may not feel they are necessary or that it is not ‘cool’ to wear one.”
When you consider that a third of fatally injured car passengers were found to be traveling without a seat belt, a figure that translates to approximately 370 preventable deaths a year, it’s difficult to understand why the message isn’t getting through.
In an attempt to emphasise the importance of wearing a seat belt when you’re on the road RoSPA have resorted to shock tactics with a series of powerful TV ads portray such facts as: “an unbelted rear seat passenger can be thrown forward and kill someone in the front of a car” and “in a crash at 30mph, if unrestrained you will be thrown forward with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own bodyweight”.
Speaking about this matter Kevin Clinton said: “We need to understand why they are still not getting the message and to ensure there are regular targeted campaigns so that deaths and injuries continue to reduce.”
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