Seat belts

In New Brunswick, over 40% of vehicle occupants who die in a collision are not wearing their seat belt. Many of these lives can be spared if a seat belt is used. 

There are a number of reasons to wear a seat belt in addition to the chance of a heavy fine and losing demerit points on your driver's licence.

Wearing a seat belt protects the driver and passengers from the car or truck’s interior in the case of a collision.  The impact of going 50 km per hour and hitting a wall is comparable to the same impact as falling three stories. 

A properly worn seat belt spreads the force of the crash over a larger area of the body, making serious injuries less likely. 

Wearing a seat belt can prevent serious injuries and protect other occupants in the vehicle. It can prevent occupants from being ejected from the vehicle. If you are in a collision, statistics confirm that the best place to be is in the vehicle. If you are thrown out of the car, the chances of becoming a fatality are much higher. 

Wearing a seat belt is the responsible thing to do, not only to protect yourself from harm, but others as well. 

Make sure both straps of the seat belt are properly adjusted and fit snugly. This transfers the impact of the collision to the parts of the body that can take it – the hipbones and shoulder bones. 

Make sure the seat belt is in good working order and: 

• the seat belt itself is not twisted or cut 
• the buckle is in good working order – the engaging and releasing mechanism works fine 
• the retractors should work smoothly when pulling the seat belt and should retract easily when not in use 

Children must have the appropriate child safety restraint. If you need help on the proper way to restrain your child in the vehicle, you can contact your local police. They will be able to direct you to where you can receive appropriate information and training on child seat restraint.