Buckle up ... Spring Seatbelt Campaign underway

OPP News Release

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(Northeastern, ON) The Ontario Provincial Police will be fully engaged in the 2008 Spring Seatbelt Campaign set to begin Wednesday, April 16, 2008. The intensive enforcement initiative runs through to Sunday, April 27 and augments regular seatbelt enforcement by patrol officers every day of the year.

During the 2007 Spring Seatbelt Campaign, OPP officers in the North East Region checked 88,391 seatbelts and 1,648 child restraints. Driver seatbelt charges numbered 743, passenger charges, 95. There were 12 child restraint infractions. The penalty for a seatbelt offence is $110 of which $20 is applied to victim fine surcharge fund, and two demerit points.

Drivers are legally responsible for ensuring that passengers under the age of 16 are properly buckled up - in a seatbelt, an appropriate child car seat or booster seat. A properly installed child safety seat can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by as much as 75%. The number of occupants in a vehicle is limited to the number of seatbelts - one person, one seatbelt – it’s the law.

Traffic crashes remain a leading cause of injury-related deaths in Ontario, estimated to exact a social cost of $9 billion every year. The human toll, loss of life and suffering is immeasurable.

It’s difficult for the average person to imagine the horrific consequences of becoming a human projectile within a vehicle but it’s an image our officers often see when they respond to a crash.

“The difference between a belted person and an unbelted person is often the difference between life and death,” explains Inspector Garry MacPherson Unit Commander, Highway Safety Division - North East Region. “A seatbelt will keep you inside your vehicle where your chance of survival is greatest. Please buckle up.”

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