Shocking amount of road deaths weren’t wearing seatbelts

A shocking amount of Victorians who were killed on the road this year were not wearing seatbelts, with police “baffled” by the amount of motorists flouting road safety laws.

 

Too many Victorians are still refusing to wear seatbelts as shocking new TAC figures reveal of the 251 lives lost on Victorian roads so far this year, 18 of them were not wearing a seatbelt.

Road safety bodies are urging motorists to “not be complacent” behind the wheel ahead of the holiday period as it can also be revealed about 10 per cent of fatal collisions on Victorian roads last year involved people who were not wearing a seatbelt in one of the state’s worst road toll years on record.

TAC chief executive Tracey Slatter said there was no excuse for not wearing a seatbelt.

“No matter where you live, or which roads you drive on, not buckling up increases your risk of dying in a crash,” she said,

“Research tells us that seatbelts can reduce fatalities by 60 per cent if you’re in the front seat and by 44 per cent if you’re in the back of the car.

“As we come into the summer holidays, I urge all Victorians to not be complacent and buckle up – all it takes is a quick and simple click when you get in a car and it could save your life.”

Road police assistant commissioner Glenn Weir said it was “baffling” how many people did not wear seat belts behind the wheel. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

Assistant Road Commissioner Glenn Weir said wearing a seatbelt was the “simplest thing” drivers could do to save lives.

“It baffles police that people still choose not to buckle up,” he said.

“We won’t hesitate to penalise those who put themselves at risk by not wearing a seatbelt.”

Drivers can be fined $395 for not wearing a seatbelt and three demerit points. Drivers are also responsible for ensuring their passengers are buckled up.

Since compulsory seatbelt laws were introduced in Victoria in 1970 the risks of serious to fatal injuries had reduced by 50 per cent.

Bill Winters from Roadsafe Goulburn Valley gives a road safety seminar to Shepparton students. Picture: Supplied

Bill Winters, from Roadsafe Goulburn Valley, said wearing a seatbelt was a simple way to stay safer on the roads.

“You have to question why people aren’t wearing seatbelts or they’re switching them off,” he said.

“It’s a bit like when we speak to kids about wearing a helmet on bikes, it’s like ‘don’t you value what you’ve got between your ears?’”

Ten lives have been lost on Greater Shepparton roads so far this year — the most out of any municipality in the state, followed by Casey with nine.

Mr Winters said the community has endured “a rough few years”, with the combination of motorists driving at high speeds while being “distracted” on rural roads resulting in several tragic incidents.

“I think in a lot of cases it’s complacency that sets in and oops you get distracted and all of a sudden there’s a give-way or stop sign that you’ve driven through,” he said.

“In the L to P program we teach kids that you may have a little crash around town and the chances that you’ll be killed are quite small but once you introduce high speed and distractions, the likelihood of you surviving diminishes quite quickly.”

The Goulburn Valley continues to be plagued by a mounting road toll

According to the TAC, children aged between four and seven must travel in a “forward facing approved child restraint” or an approved booster seat.

Babies under six months must travel in a rear-facing child restraint.

Children aged between six months and four years old can be placed in a forward facing restraint.

There have been 251 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2024 so far.