Attending a fatal collision is very troubling for police officers especially when they realize that deaths were preventable if only seatbelts and proper child restraints had been used.
Too many people die or suffer permanent injuries just because a seatbelt was not worn. It is a statistical fact: Seatbelts Save Lives!
Buckling up is a simple step. It only takes seconds. It saves lives. RCMP members have seen hundreds of people that would have lived had they been buckled up.
Recent surveys conducted by the RCMP indicate that between 80% and 90% of drivers in rural Manitoba buckle up. Of the communities surveyed in 2010, the ones with the highest percentage of people observed buckling up were: Portage la Prairie (92%); Oak Bluff (91.4%); and Selkirk (90.2%). The communities with the lowest percentage of people buckling up were: Powerview/Pine Falls (66.1%); Fisher Branch (67.5%); and Arborg (71.4%).
In Manitoba, wearing a seatbelt is required by law by both driver and passengers. Drivers are also responsible for the proper restraint of all passengers under the age of 18. Children must be properly secured in a proper restraining device until the age of 5 years or a weight of 50 pounds.
The fine for not wearing a seatbelt is $292.65 (highest in Canada).
Buckle up! It saves lives.
