Click go the seatbelts

More than 90 per cent of New Zealanders buckle up when they hop the car but the others continue to travel unbuckled.

Research prepared for the AA Motoring Research Foundation, based on 200 fatal crashes where seat belts were not worn, reveals that 75 per cent of victims were male, and that young New Zealanders were overrepresented.

Around 84 per cent of fatal crashes where seatbelts were not worn occurred on rural roads, with alcohol often being involved.

That result is no surprise, but the research also revealed it is not just one group not wearing belts — people in rural areas, people driving for work, elderly people, tourists and young people were involved in the fatalities where belts were not worn.

On average since 2006, 63 people have died in crashes (excluding buses and tractors) not

wearing seat belts.

Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter summed-up the situation earlier this year: “If you’re not wearing a seatbelt, you’re far more likely to die in a crash than your mate sitting next to you who took the two seconds to belt up.”

The Transport Agency is undertaking research to try to understand why these groups don’t belt up, so that advertising can target them more effectively.

Message targeting hard-core non-users won’t be easy, but in the meantime everyone who drives should ensure passengers are not playing Russian roulette with their lives.Wearing belts increases your chances of survival in a crash by 60 per cent in the front seats, 40 per cent in the back.