While it is important to prevent traffic crashes from happening, it is also important to take measures to mitigate the impact of crashes on the people involved. Human beings are fallible and everyone can be involved in an accident so the importance of the – so-called “passive” – protection in crashes cannot be underestimated. The seat belt is the single most effective feature in the car to fulfill this role. Using the seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a serious crash, which would normally lead to fatal injury, by about 50%. This is why the European Union has passed legislation making seat belt wearing obligatory in all seats where belts are available. Yet seat belt usage varies considerably among European countries, and generally falls short of providing the protection it could afford to car users. In this third ranking under the Road Safety Performance Index (PIN), countries are compared in relation to how many people seated in the front of cars use their safety belt. (Author/publisher)
Abstract