Wearing a safety belt is one of the simplest and most effective ways of protecting yourself as a passenger in a car. Most passenger deaths related to road crashes could be prevented if the occupants had been wearing safety belts. Aside from death, hundreds of other people are disabled for life in crashes where they were not wearing their safety belts.

Wearing a safety belt helps:

• Decrease the time it takes a driver or passenger to come to a stop on impact
  
• Spread the impact force over a greater area of the body
  
• Minimise contact with the inside of the vehicle
  
• Prevent ejection.

Safety Belts Required by Law

If you are a passenger:

• Make sure your seat belt is properly adjusted and fastened,
  
• Encourage the driver and other passengers to buckle up.

The driver is responsible for making sure children aged under 15 years wear safety belts or are in approved child restraints.

All passengers 15 years and over are responsible for making sure that they are wearing their own safety belts.