The Department of Transport and Main Roads has launched a new road safety campaign showing the impact of crashing without a seat belt.
The campaign follows a spike in the number of unrestrained road deaths.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey said the hard-hitting campaign aimed to make risk-takers face the reality that without a seat belt, they were far more likely to die in a crash.
“The campaign shows the real, violent impact of a car crash on belted and unbelted crash test dummies travelling at 40 km/h,” Mr Bailey said.
“The comparison of the impact on unbelted dummies compared to those wearing a seatbelt is shocking,” he said.
“You can only imagine how much worse it would be at higher speeds.”
Mr Bailey said the campaign aimed to debunk the myth that it was safe to travel unrestrained at low speeds or on familiar local streets and roads.
“Too many Queenslanders, particularly those in regional areas, become complacent behind the wheel when it comes to their seat belt,” he said.
“They think because they know the road well and/or there’s less traffic outside cities, it’s ok not to belt up.
“The reality is that a crash at just 40 km/h has the same impact on the human body as falling from a two-storey building.”
Mr Bailey said drivers and passengers were about eight times more likely to be killed in a road crash if they were not wearing a seat belt.
More information and tips on road safety can be accessed at this PS News link.
