New research behind launch of shocking seat belts advert

3 November 2008

A shocking new Think! campaign to highlight the deadly consequences of not always wearing a seat belt was launched today (3 Nov) by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick.

Alongside this launch new research evidence is being made publicly available: 'Strapping Yarns - Why People do not wear seatbelts' TRL Road Safety Research Report 98.

Find out more about this £2.6m THINK Campaign which contains graphic images of the fatal damage caused to internal organs are shown in a new TV advert highlighting the three devastating crashes you experience in a road accident if you are not wearing a seat belt.

Thecampaign comes after research showed that while very few people never wear a seat belt, many drivers and passengers are gambling with their lives by not belting up every time they get in a car. They are risking death or serious injury, even at everyday speeds like 30mph.

• The latest surveys (October 2007) show 95 per cent of adult front seat passengers and 94 per cent of drivers wear seatbelts. For back seat passengers, 96% of children (under 14) and 69% of adults are secured.
• A new analysis of accident statistics from 2002 to 2006 shows that 353 lives could have been saved each year if everyone always wore a seatbelt.
• Once one person puts their seatbelt on, everyone else in the car is more likely to do so.
• All the safety features you paid for in your car were tested with the assumption you would be wearing a belt. Without a seat belt, those safety features are of little benefit.