Thousands of Victorian drivers fined for not wearing a seatbelt
A man booked 11 times and a mum with three kids unrestrained are among thousands of Victorian drivers nabbed for not wearing seatbelts — and some motorists are going to extreme lengths not to belt up.
VIC News
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A mum who put on her own seatbelt but didn’t bother to properly buckle in her three kids and a man booked 11 times are among thousands of drivers nabbed for not wearing seatbelts.
One woman complained that the seatbelt cut into her neck, while overseas tourists were caught speeding at 150kmh with two children who weren’t buckled up.
Some drivers are so intent on not wearing a seatbelt they’re buying clips from scrapyards and putting them in buckles so warning alarms don’t go off.
Fifty years since Victoria became the first jurisdiction in the world to make seatbelts mandatory, the state’s top roads cop has raised concern that today’s drivers have forgotten the safety message.
Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy told the Herald Sun: “It’s disturbing to the highest level that people would put their children’s lives at risk and their own lives at risk.
“And they don’t care about other road users.”
Victoria Police figures show almost 13,000 fines were issued in relation to seatbelts last financial year.
More than half of those caught were drivers and almost a fifth were passengers.
Already this year, six of the 27 people killed on Victoria’s roads weren’t wearing seatbelts.
Police fear the tally could reach 52 deaths by year’s end if the behaviour doesn’t ease.
A man driving at 124kmh in a 90kmh zone whose two young children didn’t have booster seats was also among motorists recently caught flouting the law.
A truckie who didn’t belt up told police he was “in and out of the truck all day” while another man said he was only travelling a short distance and didn’t think it would hurt.
Farmers were also regular culprits on rural roads.
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Highway police reported issuing tickets to drivers who used seatbelt clips from wrecker’s yards to fool their car’s warning system into thinking they were safely strapped in.
Some also jammed items into buckles.
“They do it to stop the alarm sounding while they leave their seatbelt off,” Ms Murphy said.
“I don’t understand what drives people to do that. For me it is a no-brainer — belt up. It is the life vest — it will save your life.”
Drivers caught without a seatbelt face a $330 fine and three demerit points.