Police is extremely concerned by the very high numbers of people being killed in crashes who aren’t wearing seatbelts.
The numbers killed on New Zealand roads while not wearing restraints has nearly doubled in the past two years
Assistant Commissioner: Road Policing, Dave Cliff, says that is an unacceptable statistic and for that reason all Police Districts will be putting extra focus on ensuring seatbelts are worn this year.
“Almost a third of people who die on our roads are unrestrained vehicle occupants and these are all deaths which are entirely preventable.
“We are at a loss to understand why there has been such a massive increase in people not wearing their seatbelts.
“No part of New Zealand is immune, crashes occur on our roads from one end of the country to the other and anyone who chooses not to wear a seatbelt only increases their risk of injury or death if they end up in one,” says Mr Cliff.
In 2016, the seatbelt wearing rate for drivers and adult front seat passengers was 96.5 percent. This is a drop from the 97.1 percent observed in 2014 and is the first time there has been a reduction in wearing rate since 1996
Also of real concern to Police is that the number of females being killed in crashes while not wearing a seatbelt has increased substantially in the last five years.
“If people don’t listen up and get the message in 2017, we will likely see more than 100 people lose their lives and thousands more be injured completely needlessly,” says Mr Cliff.
“All this can be prevented by taking two seconds to put on your seatbelt, it’s that easy.
“A seat belt reduces the risk of death risk by 60 percent in the front seat and 44 percent for back seat passengers.
“It’s a no-brainer! So let’s all be sure to ‘buckle up buttercup’ every time you get into a vehicle, says Mr Cliff.
“Make sure your friends and family do the same so we can avoid more preventable deaths occurring on our roads.”
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Media note: Please see attached graphs for up to date statistics.
