RoSPA Welcomes Seatbelt Campaign

A new Scottish initiative to drive home the importance of wearing a seatbelt is being welcomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents(RoSPA).

The Have You Clicked? campaign was launched today by The Scottish Government, Road Safety Scotland and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

With seatbelt wearing rates in Scotland lower among van, lorry, bus and coach drivers than car drivers, RoSPA is hoping the safety messages will be picked up by those who get behind the wheel for work.

Today also marks the start of the safety charity’s annual training on another important aspect of seatbelt safety and child car seats.

A survey carried out for the Department for Transport last year found that 95 percent of car drivers in Scotland wear seatbelts. However, the wearing rate dropped to just 23 percent among bus, coach and minibus drivers. Car passengers belted up more often than passengers in other vehicles.

Since 2008, RoSPA Scotland and the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives have run seminars about the legal, ethical and business reasons for addressing work-related road safety.

RoSPA will now ensure that the 600 companies to have attended seminars are kept up to date with the seatbelt campaign.

There has been a welcome improvement in children wearing seatbelts in Scotland. The 2009 survey found that 98 percent of 0-4-year-olds sitting in the back seat were strapped in, a rise from 89 percent in 2002.

Among 5-13-year-olds in the rear of a car, 95 percent were wearing seatbelts in 2009, up from 75 percent in 2002.

In addition to merely wearing a seatbelt, however, it’s important that children travel in a suitable car seat, as required by the law, and that car seats are correctly fitted.

Kathleen Braidwood, RoSPA Scotland’s Road Safety Officer, said: "This new campaign presents a fantastic opportunity to focus on an issue that has the potential to save lives and reduce the number and severity of injuries on Scotland’s roads."

"Nearly a third of people killed in cars are not wearing seatbelts and it has been estimated that at least half of those would have survived had they been strapped in," she added.