Driving Tips > Safety Columns
Develop good habits - wear your seatbelt and make sure your child is properly restrained
The seatbelts installed in today’s vehicles are more effective than ever – but only if drivers and passengers remember to wear them.
Around ninety per cent of Manitobans wear seatbelts, but about 40 per cent of the people killed in car accidents were unbelted at the time of the crash, and many more are seriously injured.
“It’s such a simple, effective safety device that it’s amazing there are still people who don’t wear them,” said Jeanie Dalman, Occupant Safety Issue Specialist at Manitoba Public Insurance. “We often read of crashes where the occupants who were wearing belts survived and the people who weren’t die.”
Two of the greatest dangers faced by those not wearing belts:
- When the vehicle suddenly stops in a collision, your body doesn’t and you can smash violently into the steering wheel, dash or windshield with often-fatal results.
- In a rollover, unrestrained occupants are frequently ejected from the vehicle and may be crushed by the vehicle or killed on impact with the ground.
Seatbelts are simple to use. Make sure the belt is untwisted, and snug across your body. The shoulder harness goes over the shoulder, never under the arm.
“A crash at a speed of 50 kilometres an hour for an unrestrained occupant is like falling off the top of a three-storey building,” said Jeanie. “In a modern vehicle where the occupants wear seatbelts supplemented by airbags, a lot of people walk away from that kind of crash.
“It isn’t just a matter of obeying the law. It can be a matter of your life and death.”
This October, Manitoba RCMP will be out in full force in communities and roadways looking for motorists who don’t use seatbelts and child restraints. Wear your seatbelt and make sure your child is properly restrained.
For more information, watch The 60-Second Driver on CTV, or check out the following safety columns on this website:
- Seat Belts in Driving Tips
- Child Restraints in Driving Tips
- You can access the 60-Second Driver video on Seat Belts and Air Bags directly
