This month marks 50 years since NSW made history, becoming one of the first States to introduce legislation to make seatbelts mandatory. But there are still those who choose not to follow the rules, and the consequences can be quite costly – even deadly.
The landmark law was introduced in November 1971 and has played a key role in saving lives.
In 1970, the year before it became mandatory to wear a seatbelt, 1,309 people were killed on NSW roads, the highest number ever recorded, by 1993 it had more than halved to 581, and last year it was 284, an overall reduction of 78 per cent since seatbelts were introduced.
From January 1 to November 8, there have been 7,799 restraint legal actions – including driver, passenger and child restraint offences – issued across the State, 156 of which were in the Bankstown police command and 64 in the Campsie command.
The majority of restraint offences in the Bankstown and Campsie commands, were on Fridays (61) and Mondays (51), with most occurring between 6am and 6pm.
A police spokesperson says they are continuing to encourage drivers to make sure everyone is wearing a seatbelt correctly and children are in the correct restraint for their age and size.
“Drivers are responsible not only for their own safety but the safety of others in their vehicle,” she said.
