Although there is overwhelming evidence that seat belt wearing significantly reduces the chances of injury or death in a car crash, even at low speeds, more than half of young people in South Africans simply do not wear seat belts.
Passengers and motorists who don’t adhere to standard seat belt safety precautions, run the real risk of flying out the crash upon impact during a car crash, which could cause severe and potentially deadly damage to the body.
However, simly strapping up could save your life as a front seat occupant, as remaining buckled up can reduce the chances of fatality by 45% and of moderate or critical injury by 50%, simply by wearing a seat belt.
The Automobile Association (AA) estimates that less than 60% of South Africans actually buckle up, and new research by Volvo Car SA has found that 52% of young people, aged from 18 to 24, say they “sometimes or never” wear a seat belt.
The Swedish carmaker’s study also shed some light on why such a large portion of the youth are refusing to wear seat belts and it largely boils down to being “uncool”.
In the study, 19% of male respondents felt wearing a belt was not cool, versus 8% of women, with peer pressure also playing a major role.
Another alarming trend, found among South Africans aged 25 to 39, was that although 75% reported that they generally wore seat belts, 29% admitted to removing their belts as they approached home.
“Interestingly, for South Africans, wearing a seat belt in a familiar area can sometimes signify being an outsider or visitor.
“The seat belt is often placed behind the back for those wanting to convey a sense of belonging. Naturally, this defeats the purpose of the safety device,” said Felipe Yagi, communications head at Volvo Car SA.
Worryingly, in some South African townships in particular, criminals are understood to target those who wear seatbelts as it is seen as an indicator that they may not be from the area.
This has led to the concerning trend of many removing safety belts, or tucking it behind you, as they approach roads in townships such as uMlazi, Soweto and Langa.
The study also found that passengers travelling in townships were even less likely to wear seat belts, with 59% noting they “sometimes or never” bucked up.
Many respondents also believed it unnecessary to wear a seat belt while driving through “safe areas” or while parking.
However, the impact of a low-speed car accident on the human body is much more severe than most people realise. For instance, research shows that an accident at 50km/h is the equivalent of falling from the third storey of a building.
“Being closer to home and driving at slower speeds does not mean you’re safer or your seatbelt is no longer necessary to wear,” Yagi added.
The bottom line is that wearing a seat belt significantly reduces your chances of death or injury in an accident.
For instance, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that front seat occupants can reduce their chances of fatality by 45% and of moderate or critical injury by 50% simply by wearing seats belts.
It’s also imperative for rear passengers to buckle up as they can seriously injure other occupants in a collision.
South Africa’s Arrive Alive association quotes a paramedic as having stated that they “very seldom have to unbuckle a dead person after a road crash.”
Need more convincing? Watch the videos below this story.
ALSO READ - WATCH: This is what happens when you and your passengers don’t wear seat belts
It’s even more imperative to ensure that children are restrained in child seats that are appropriate for their size and age. Consider that 80% of severe brain injuries in children have been linked to road accidents and in 96% of these cases the child was not buckled up, according to the African Brain Child Initiative.
A chilling fact, according to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, is that a South African child is 10 times more likely to perish on our roads than a child in Switzerland.
Seeing children roaming freely around inside cars while driving is a common sight in this country and this practice can be summed up in just one phrase: bad parenting.
Not securing your child in their seat is actually classified as a form of neglect by Arrive Alive.
IOL