Seat belts protect vehicle occupants by decreasing the time it takes for them them to come to a stop in a collision, spreads the impact force over a greater area of the body, minimises contact with the interior of the vehicle and helps stop them from being ejected from the vehicle.

 

It doesn't matter if you are only travelling a few kilometres most road crashes happen close to home.

 

Even at low speed not wearing a seat belt can cause serious injury and result in death. A car crash at 40 km/h is like falling from a

two-storey building onto thick concrete.
 

You are 10 times more likely to be killed in a fatal road crash if you are not wearing a seat belt in a vehicle.

 

Airbags are designed to work as supplements to seat belts. Without a seat belt on, occupants in a vehicle may come into contact with airbags before they are fully deployed which can cause fatal injuries.  

Male teens continue to lag behind female teens in seat belt use. In 2009, 11.5 percent say they rarely or never wear a seat belt as a passenger, compared to 7.7 percent of females.

 

55 percent of young adults (aged 16-26) that died in car crashes were not wearing a seat belt in 2012.

 

In 2013, 90 vehicle occupants were killed or seriously injured while not wearing a seatbelt.  Of these, 64% were drivers, 13% were front seat passengers and 8% were back seat passengers. They were more likely to male victims (77%) than female (23%).  
 

Youths who live in states with primary seat belt laws are 12 percent more likely to buckle up as drivers, and 15 percent more likely to buckle up as passengers compared to youths who reside in states with weaker secondary enforcement seat belt laws.

 

Some common youth responses for not wearing seat belts inlcude: the belts are uncomfortable; the trip was short; forgetfulness; lack of understanding about the importance of seat belts in a crash; and seat belts not being associated as a "cool" driver.

 

Wearing your seat belt when you're driving and ensuring your passengers are wearing theirs too, ensures that you and your passengers stay safe with minimum injury on the road if you become involved in a car collision.