News : Drivers Putting Lives at Risk
New research conducted by Blackpool Council shows that some people in the town are risking their lives by not belting up.
Surveys recently conducted by the Council’s Road Safety Team* show that seat belt wearing rates in the town are below the national average - with 13 per cent of drivers and 26 per cent of front seat passengers surveyed in town not wearing their seatbelts.
This compares to a national figure of 10 per cent who do not wear their seat belts when in front seats.
Nineteen per cent of back seat passengers were not wearing seatbelts either and, although this compares favourably to the 24 per cent recorded in national surveys, it is still a much higher number than the team would like to see.
Now the Council has put together a seat belt promotion campaign in a bid to educate drivers about the dangers of not belting up.
Travel and Road Safety Manager Carol Bracegirdle said: “The surveys conducted in Blackpool show an astonishing amount of people failing to belt up in both the front and the back of vehicles. Not only is this illegal but puts them at serious risk of injury in a crash.
Cllr Maxine Callow, Cabinet Member for Tourism and Regeneration, which includes road safety added: “In Blackpool we have a vision of reducing deaths on our roads to zero but we need everyone to help us do this. Seatbelts save lives and reduce injuries, whether in the front or the back and putting a seat belt on should be an instinctive thing to do when you get into a vehicle.”
Research has shown that in a crash someone not wearing a seat belt is more likely to die than someone using one. Anyone not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a vehicle could be thrown forward onto the person in front of them killing or seriously injuring them.
There is also evidence that people are less likely to use seatbelts on short or familiar journeys or at low speeds. This puts them at serious risk of injury in a crash.
By law drivers and passengers must wear a seat belt in cars and goods vehicles where one is fitted. Children up to 135cms tall or 12 years of age must use the appropriate child restraint for their weight when travelling in the front or back seat of any car, van or goods vehicle.
Sgt Pete Beresford from Blackpool Police’s Road Policing Unit said: “It cannot be stressed enough how important it is that drivers and passengers wear their seat belts. In the event of a collision, a seat belt could quite literally save a life.
“Blackpool Police will continue to work closely with partners and will maintain a focus on non-compliance resulting in the stopping and prosecuting of those that fail to wear their seat belts.”
Throughout September Blackpool Council’s Travel and Road Safety team will be promoting a month long campaign encouraging people to wear their seat belts.
During the campaign Road Safety Officers will be working with Lancashire Constabulary and visiting schools to remind parents about the importance of buckling up as their children go back to school.
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