This month has been designated Occupant Restraint Safety month and the RCMP will be on the road watching to ensure drivers and passengers are using their seatbelts properly.
“People need to remember to buckle up,” said Sgt. Sonny Kim of the Athabasca/Boyle RCMP Alberta Sheriff Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU).
“Using a restraint properly reduces the likelihood of death or severe injury in a collision. The chances of surviving a collision are 50 to 65 per cent when wearing a seatbelt.”
In a large number of fatal crashes in Alberta, the victims were not wearing seat belts. Canadian statistics show that 40 per cent of those killed and 20 per cent of those injured on Canada’s roads were not using a seatbelt.
The fine for someone in a vehicle not wearing a seatbelt or not using the seatbelt or child restraint in the manner it was designed is $115.
“And the driver of the vehicle is responsible for anyone in the vehicle under the age of 16,” stated Kim.
The driver will receive a ticket for each individual under 16 that isn’t properly restrained, and that can add up.
For children under 40 pounds (18 kg) or under six years of age, the law states an appropriate child seat must be used, the child safety seat must be correctly installed and that the child must be properly secured into the seat.
Seatbelts save lives, as Kim can personally attest to.
“Twice, I have been involved in on-duty collisions including being T-boned by a vehicle,” he said. “I firmly believe the fact I was wearing my seatbelt saved my life both times.
“It may not keep one from being injured, but those injuries are going to be far less serious than if you aren’t wearing it.”
Kim added that people don’t realize the potential force of an impact a vehicle will have if it collides with another object when it is going 100 km per hour.
“If you or someone in the vehicle isn’t buckled up, what is holding them back when there is a collision, or even if the vehicle has to make a sudden stop?” he stated.
A good example of people being saved from potential severe or fatal injuries by using their seatbelt, Kim said, came last Friday morning when icy highway conditions caused a number of collisions.
“Out of all of the vehicles involved, there was only one serious injury that resulted. I know that wearing a seatbelt will save lives,” he said.
