All 165 OPP detachments in the province, including officers within Rainy River District, are participating in the annual Spring Seatbelt Safety Campaign, Commissioner Julian Fantino said Monday.
The campaign, which began Monday, runs through Sunday, April 27.
Last year, 117 people were killed on roads patrolled by the OPP as a result of not being buckled up—a 14.7 percent increase over 2006.
“It takes less than five seconds to fasten your seatbelt,” Fantino noted. “That five seconds could be the difference between living and dying if you are involved in a serious collision.
“There is no excuse for not buckling up,” he stressed.
The OPP also will be looking for improperly-installed child restraints or young children who aren’t in car seats at all.
Municipal police services across the province also are involved in the seatbelt campaign.
A properly-used child seat reduces a child’s risk of injury in a motor vehicle collision by as much as 75 percent, yet as many as 80 percent of child car seats are used incorrectly.
Bill 73, passed in December, 2004, made booster seats mandatory for anyone transporting a child weighing between 40-80 pounds (18-36 kg), under 4’9” (145 cm) tall, and under the age of eight.
“A person has a much better chance of surviving a serious collision if they are wearing a seatbelt,” Fort Frances OPP Cst. Anne McCoy said.
“You owe it to yourself, your family, and friends to buckle up,” she stressed.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
