From 1925 when road accident data for Australia were first published till 1979, over 100, 000 road users were killed and 2.2 mlllion injured. Nevertheless, motor vehicle travel is much safer today than it was fifty pears ago. Although the reasons for this improvement are not fully understood, a measure which has had a major influence in recent years has been the fitting and wearing of seat belts. The action taken by the Australian States and Territories to ensure seat belts are worn has been one of the major road safety experiments. There is little doubt that this action has been successful both in reducing occupant casualties and in giving the lead to many other countrles to introduce similar legislation. There has been a continuous demand from within Australia and overseas for information on all aspects of seat belts.
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