“With the belt, let’s stick to stay alive.” This is the motto of the new awareness campaign presented this Thursday by Road Safety, a few days before the first big vacation outings.
“The vast majority of people have the reflex to put on their seatbelts but we see a certain relaxation, a deterioration of the practice,” Florence Guillaume, inter-ministerial delegate for Road Safety, said Thursday during a presentation to journalists.
24% of people who died were not wearing a seat belt in 2022
In 2022, 24% of car fatalities on the road, or 351 people, were not wearing a seat belt. They were 21% the previous year, according to official statistics. The accident rate related to not using a seat belt is also high among children: 1 child out of 4 killed in a traffic accident did not wear a seat belt in 2021 and 2022.
In a study published in May by the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, 27% of people under the age of 35 said they did not always wear a seatbelt. According to the data published in the Road Safety press release, “28.8% of drivers admit that sometimes they do not wear it in the city or on short journeys.”
However, this has been mandatory for almost 50 years. The mandatory seatbelt in the front was introduced on July 1, 1973, it also became mandatory in the rear on October 1, 1990.
“Reflex action”
The new campaign, due to start on Sunday, focuses on the “reflex action” of buckling up, Florence Guillaume said. In the Road Safety clip, the actors imitate this hand gesture from top to bottom, mimicking John Travolta’s choreography in Saturday night fever in the movie song notes stay alive of the Bee Gees.
To illustrate their point, Road Safety carried out a crash test at the Linas-Montlhéry racetrack in the Paris region. Four dummies have been installed in the vehicle: its driver is attached, not the front passenger. In the back, two 6-year-old children: one correctly strapped to an approved seat, the other improperly strapped. The car is thrown at 50 km/h against the wall.
The verdict of the sensors and makeup installed on the models is final. The unbelted front passenger’s head struck the dash before the airbag deployed and his legs were crushed and severely damaged. And from behind, the badly hit child’s skull hit the chair.
Three points less and a fine of 135 euros
The lack of use of the seat belt is considered a 4th class offense for both the driver and the passenger, as specified by the Road Safety website. The latter risk a fine of 135 euros (90 euros less). The driver also risks having 3 points removed from his driving license. Please note that if a minor does not wear a seatbelt, the driver also risks a fine of 135 euros.
Source: BFM TV
