Seatbelt tickets in June hit almost 500: SGI

SGI says too many people are still failing to buckle up in a vehicle.

In June, police across Saskatchewan wrote a total of 490 tickets for people not wearing or improperly wearing seatbelts, or for having young passengers who were not properly restrained.

Among the tickets handed out:

313 tickets for a driver failing to properly use or wear a seatbelt;

51 tickets to a passenger failing to properly use or wear a seatbelt;

43 tickets for driving with a passenger (under 7 years old) not properly restrained;

83 other tickets related to seatbelts and child restraints.

“It is unbelievable that police caught this many people not using or wearing a seatbelt or wearing one improperly in a single month,” states an SGI news release issued Wednesday.

“The evidence is clear: Seatbelts save lives. Not wearing one makes you more likely to die or be seriously injured in a vehicle collision.”

According to SGI, people are three times more likely to be killed if ejected from a vehicle and 17 times more likely to be ejected if they are not wearing a seatbelt.

In June, police also reported:

6,458 tickets for speeding or aggressive driving offences;

974 distracted driving tickets, including 847 for using a mobile device while driving; and 447 impaired driving offences with 329 of those charges being Criminal Code offences.

For July, the traffic safety focus is on work zones and driving safe when passing workers on the side of the road.