NORTHWEST ONTARIO - With the high wind and heavy wet snowfall, the Ontario Provincial Police reminds the North West region to avoid unnecessary travel over the Easter weekend. Weather conditions are expected to cause significant delays and dangerous conditions on the roads.
However, the OPP would like to remind the public that a seat belt should be a top priority when travelling, regardless of the weather. The North West region has seen a sharp increase in persons killed in collisions due to not wearing a seat belt.
In 2021, lack of seatbelt use resulted in eight fatalities resulting from motor vehicle collisions. This is up 300 per cent from five years ago.
In Ontario, all drivers and passengers must wear seat belts with penalties, including a fine between $200 and $1,000 and two demerit points if convicted. In 2021, 61 individuals were ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt on OPP-patrolled roads in North West Region.
Province-wide data shows us those between the ages of 25 and 34 had the highest rate of fatalities, accounting for 24 per cent of the deaths. The 15 to 24-year age bracket was the second-highest group, at 22.3 per cent, followed by 35 to 44-year-olds at 13.5 per cent of those who died without wearing seatbelts. In North West Region, drivers (vs. passengers) accounted for 75 per cent of the deaths.
While most of the public knows that wearing a seatbelt can save a life due to a collision, the number has increased over the years. The excuses range from only driving a short distance or at low speeds, seatbelts being uncomfortable or no longer needed because of airbags, to the myth that wearing a seatbelt will trap a person and make things worse during a crash; the OPP is reminding drivers and passengers that wearing a seatbelt is a proven adequate time and time again.
Parents with young children should also know how to install their car seats probably, and that car children’s car seats have specific weight requirements. By law, infants are to stay in a rear-facing car seat until they are 9 kilograms before installing a forward-facing car seat with a 9 -18 kilogram weight requirement. All children under 8 (18 -36 kilograms) must be buckled up in a booster seat.
OPP officers will be doing their part to keep the motoring public safe over the Easter long weekend, focusing on seatbelt law enforcement and education. Officers hope to see drivers and passengers make it a "zero charges" weekend through 100 per cent seatbelt law compliance across all age demographics.