OPP conducting seat belt campaign

From the OPP

Members of the Rainy River District OPP will be out patrolling district roadways, specifically targeting seat belt offenders during the fall seat belt campaign from Sept. 26-Oct. 5.
Some 257,475 seat belt charges have been laid over the last 10 years, with 25- to 34-year-olds being issued more charges (63,846) than any other demographic.
Drivers and passengers aged 35-44 come in second with 50,863 charges while 45- to 54-year-olds are right behind with 50,488 charges.
Forty-nine people who died after being involved in collisions were not safely buckled in at the time.
Failure to wear or properly wear a seat belt has contributed to 639 deaths on OPP-patrolled roads in the last 10 years.
As a driver or passenger, it’s important to respect the life-saving value of a seat belt and the proven fact that the best position to be in during a crash is securely fastened in your seat.
Drivers are responsible for ensuring that all passengers under 16 years of age are using the seat belt or an appropriate child car seat.
Seat belts worn correctly can reduce the chances of death and serious injuries in a collision by roughly 50 percent (Transport Canada).
Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them.
If you are unbuckled, you could be thrown into an opening airbag and be injured or killed.