Seat belts are designed to save lives and more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have to start taking this message seriously, says the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Government Services. She said the province once had one of the highest seat belt wearing rates in the country at 97.5 per cent but that rate has now dropped to 85 per cent in rural areas and 88 per cent in urban areas.

"Much of this decline can be contributed to complacency," said Minister Whalen. "Many people think nothing will happen to them so there is no need to wear their seat belts. That thought can actually cost lives. Seat belts are vitally important and it is time that people in this province start to realize that even if they are good drivers, collisions can happen. Being buckled up will stop drivers and passengers from being ejected, even severely injured or killed. YOU Are in Control."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reports that so far this year, there have been 16 fatalities as a result of 14 collisions on the province�s highways. Three of those fatalities were considered vulnerable road users. Vulnerable roads users include motorcycle drivers, ATV operators and pedestrians, as examples. The other 13 fatalities were occupants of vehicles. Of those 13 fatalities, 10 were not wearing seat belts. As well, nine of the 14 collisions involved vehicle rollovers in which seven unbelted occupants were ejected and killed.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary reports that in recent months they have increased enforcement of seat belt laws by almost 20 per cent compared to the same period in 2006. They also have attended traffic accidents where injuries to occupants were minimized by the usage of seatbelts. The RNC say it is impossible to determine how many lives have been saved by seatbelt use but on a daily basis they see incidents where injuries to motorists would have been greater if not for proper seatbelt use.

In the 2005-06 fiscal year, 2,077 drivers were convicted for not wearing seat belts. There were 21 convictions for passengers over 16 years of age not wearing seat belts and 47 convictions for passengers under 16 not wearing seat belts. There were also 26 convictions for a driver operating a vehicle with a child not secured in a car seat as required.

"All of these statistics are startling but I find it especially surprising that drivers would risk the lives of children by not buckling them up or securing them in car seats. The safety of our children should come first. One of the easiest things we can do is just click the seat belt or car seat restraint so they are secure. This is one of the main reasons we are adding booster seat requirements for older children in 2008," said Minister Whalen.

Starting July 1, 2008, drivers will be required to secure all children age eight and under, who weigh between 18 and 37 kilograms (approximately 40 and 80 pounds) and who are less than 145 centimetres (four feet nine inches) tall in a booster seat. This includes transportation in a car, passenger truck, taxi, passenger vehicles used by day cares and school contract vehicles.

The Provincial Government promotes highway safety year-round through the YOU Are in Control highway safety campaign which was launched last December. This campaign was developed by the Traffic Safety Committee established through the Motor Registration Division of the Department of Government Services. Members of the committee also include the RCMP, the RNC, the Departments of Transportation and Works and Health and Community Services, the City of St. John�s and the Newfoundland and Labrador Safety Council. The intent of the campaign is to grab people�s attention and show them that everyone has a responsibility in making sure highways are safe.

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Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Department of Government Services
709-729-4860, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca