Traffic Safety Spotlight Catches Hundreds Not Buckling Up

Wearing your seatbelt while in a motor vehicle has been a law in Saskatchewan for decades but despite that SGI reports that hundreds of people were fined for not wearing or not properly wearing their seatbelt in June.

During SGI’s monthly Traffic Safety Spotlight - which targeted use and proper use of seatbelts and child restraints - police across Saskatchewan issued a total of 490 tickets in the month of June.

The breakdown of tickets issued is as follows:

  • 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.

Evidence from traffic accidents as well as controlled crashes utilizing crash test dummies has shown that properly wearing seatbelts helps reduce injuries as well as fatalities.

“Vehicles have a protective cage around the occupants to protect them in the event of a serious collision, directing the violent forces around the passenger compartment and away from the people inside. Skipping the seatbelt means you could have a violent trip through a windshield and onto the pavement beyond. You’re three times more likely to be killed if you are ejected from a vehicle and 17 times more likely to be ejected if you’re not wearing a seatbelt,” SGI said in a news release.

The release went on to state “anyone who thinks they have a good reason to not wear a seatbelt is almost certainly wrong. It is not only against the law, but it is also dangerous for yourself and other people in the vehicle. So every time you are in a vehicle, #BuckleUp.”

At the present time there are fewer than a dozen permits which allow a vehicle occupant to not wear a seat belt due to medical reasons. The permits also are not valid in jurisdictions other than Saskatchewan.

Police also reported in June:

  • 6,458 tickets for speeding or aggressive driving offences;

  • 974 distracted driving tickets including 847 for using a mobile device while driving;

  • 447 impaired driving offences with 329 of those charges being Criminal Code offences.

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

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