Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison takes aim at ‘lazy’ drivers for not buckling up

A Sydney mum says wearing seatbelts saved her family’s lives when their car rolled three times in a horror crash. It comes as a staggering number of motorists have been caught not buckling up.

Motorists are refusing to buckle up, with more than 100,000 “lazy” drivers and passengers caught not wearing a seatbelt since mobile detection cameras began last year.

With nearly one person a week killed on our roads last year not wearing a seatbelt, Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison is alarmed that motorists are not getting the message.

The latest Transport for NSW data has also revealed an alarming spike in seatbelt offences during the school holidays, with one in every 651 drivers that were checked during the summer holidays busted without a seatbelt.

And on the Australia Day long weekend, one in every 811 drivers checked were issued with a seatbelt penalty notice.

The highest single noncompliance rate during the holiday period was Christmas Day, when one in every 559 drivers checked was found not to be wearing a seatbelt.

Samantha and Craig Jory, with their four children Leo, 2½, Jaxon, 7, Indi, 5, and baby Billy who was just nine weeks old at the time of their crash.

Not even double demerits prompted drivers to strap in, with the data showing one in 626 motorists were fined in the last week in December for not wearing a seatbelt.

Once the holidays ended, the figure improved to one in every 1266 drivers.

The Jory family’s car after their terrifying accident. They credit their seatbelts with saving their lives. Picture: Supplied

The existing mobile phone detection cameras were tweaked to also detect seatbelt offences in response to the state’s soaring road toll.

The number of seatbelt offences detected has stunned transport officials.

The latest fatality figure shows 35 people died last year in road crashes where they were found not to be properly strapped in.

Between 2019 and 2023, 158 drivers and passengers were killed in car crashes not wearing a seatbelt.

Ms Aitchison said seatbelt-wearing should be second nature: “Motorists in NSW have had more than 50 years to get used to the concept of wearing a seatbelt. It’s been compulsory to do so in our state since 1971,” she said.

“Unlawful, lazy and life-risking behaviour by drivers, as well as passengers, is still far too common when it comes to wearing these restraints properly, if at all.”

As of April 11, there have been 97 fatalities on NSW roads, six more than the same time last year.

With double demerits in force over the Easter break, motorists caught not wearing a seatbelt will risk losing six points and a $410 fine.

Sydney mum Samantha Jory and her ex-police officer husband Craig were taking their four young children to a friend’s farm for the holidays when their car rolled multiple times after being hit by a truck.

Yet the family – including Craig’s 75-year-old mum – suffered only relatively minor injuries.

Ms Jory, 33, said seatbelts saved their lives when a truck veered into their lane.

“We were airborne,” Ms Jory said. “It then flipped three times and ended up smashed up in the breakdown lane. It all happened so quickly.

Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison has slammed motorists who are too ‘lazy’ to wear a seatbelt. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

“I turned around. The cabin was dead silent. My newborn Billy who was just nine weeks old was just staring at me. One of my sons had blood coming from his mouth.”

Her son was later found to have bitten his lip. To her relief, everyone had survived.

Ms Jory had broken ribs, while her mother-in-law fractured an ankle and had concussion.

“If we all weren’t wearing out seatbelts, it would have been a lot worse,” she said. “We would have gone through the windscreen.

“I know people can get blase about seatbelts, and you think it can never happen to us. But it only needs to happen once.”

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Originally published as Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison takes aim at ‘lazy’ drivers for not buckling up