OPP holds seat belt campaign during long weekend

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are reporting a 20-year low and a steady decrease in seat belt-related deaths as they conducted their Seat Belt Campaign over the Easter Long Weekend. Although seat belt-related road deaths may be at its lowest, OPP still consider that one life lost is one too many.

« It only takes a moment to buckle up and it can save your life, or the life of your loved one. I commend the OPP for undertaking Seat Belt Campaigns», declared MarieFrance Lalonde, minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services “They are an important reminder that help keep our roads safe. Please help prevent unnecessary tragedy by making sure everyone in a vehicle with you is safely buckled.»

A total of 45 seat belt-related road fatalities occurred on OPP-patrolled roads in 2016, marking the lowest number on record in the last 20 years. Also notable over the 20year period is the number dipping below the 50 mark for the first time in 2015 and 2016.

The OPP attribute the downward trend, in part, to its Provincial Traffic Safety Program (PTSP). The PTSP is a proactive, high visibility approach to traffic safety enforcement and education that focuses on lack of seat belt use and other high-risk behaviours that account for the majority of OPP-investigated deaths on roads, waterways and trails.

Since its implementation in 2007, PTSP has contributed to significantly fewer traffic fatalities overall. While seat belt-related fatalities have proportionately decreased through the success of the PTSP, unbuckled vehicle occupants continue to lose their lives.

,” claimed OPP Deputy Commissioner and Provincial Commander of Traffic Safety & Operational Support Brad Blair. “The odds of surviving or avoiding serious injuries in a collision are stacked against those who are not restrained in their seat. In exchange for the few seconds it takes to buckle up, you can cross this risk off the checklist of things that threaten your life on the road.»