"Make seatbelt use a life-saving strategy" says OPP
ORILLIA,
ON, April 15 /CNW/ - With the 2005
Spring Seatbelt campaign underway between April 16 - 24, 2005, the Ontario
Provincial Police will be highly visible throughout the province, to
ensure that motorists everywhere do their
part in saving lives by belting down and buckling up!
In
OPP jurisdictions last year (2004), one in four fatally injured vehicle
occupants was unrestrained and many more were seriously injured for the
very same reason.
Another
important fact is that more Canadian children die of road traffic injuries
than any other cause. As such, the OPP will be focusing much attention on
child restraint during the campaign, in an effort to raise awareness about
the importance of correctly using child car seats and booster seats while
transporting children.
A
properly used child car seat reduces a child's risk of injury in a crash
by as much as 75 per cent. Yet as many as 80 per cent of child car seats
are used incorrectly.
It
is imperative for drivers to protect children by ensuring they are
properly restrained. Given the fact that booster seats will be mandatory
this fall for a child weighing between 18 - 36 kg (40 - 80 lbs.), under
145 cm.
(4'9")
tall and under age eight, parents will no longer have an option.
"Ontarians
have a better chance to see, laugh and play with their loved ones
again after a collision if they wear a seatbelt," said Community
Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte
Kwinter. "And everyone in Ontario benefits because seatbelt use saves
billions of dollars in potential health care
costs."
Throughout
the campaign, the OPP will be joining police services across the province,
making sure that every adult, teenager and child are safely buckled in.
Those who fail to comply with important seat belt laws that are in place
to save lives will be targeted.
Make
sure you do your part as a driver, by buckling up and making sure that all
of your passengers are properly secured.
