38 - Friday, September 18, 1992 —- North Shore News AUTO GUIDE i jy NY ee le Nevoosant] 2 in a Ss Ea Yeuw’re a wreck without a seat belt. The first weak of October is seat beit awareness wevk. Seat belt campaign targets lost users 3% drop means more lives lost A MOTOR vehicle crash occurs in B.C. every five minutes. By A.P. McCredie Automotive Reporter Each year, more than 500 peo- ple are kiiled and another 33,000 injured in traffic accidents in B.C.; 4,000 brain injuries are caused by motor vehicle crashes every year in the province; 6 out of 10 traffic accidents in B.C. happen on city streets; getting in an accident while travelling 50 km/h while you’re not wearing your seat belt is like falling off a three-storey buiiding; accidents in the province cost our health care and justice systems about $1.5 billion every year. The first week of October is seat belt awareness week. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. (ICBC) and community groups plan to raise awareness of the issue through special events and advertising, and police will step up enforcement of seat belt laws during the campaign period of Oct. I to Oct. 7. Hf the above sobering statistics don’t have an effect on buckling up, drivers and passengers who do not wear their seat belts face fines of $75, up $40 from last year’s fine. Even though wearing a seat belt can cut the chance of being killed or seriously injured in a_ traffic crash by half, the number of Brit- ish Columbians buckling up has dropped from 88% to 85% in re- cent years. “It’s been several years since we have had a seat belt awareness campaign in the province, so the drop in people using their seat belts can probably be attributed to that fact,’’ said ICBC spokesman Rick Hyde. Transport Canada estimates that the three percent slide in the provincial wearing rate has meant about another 40 lives lost and 700 injuries suffered annually in crashes. The national objective for seat belt compliance is 95% by 1995, translating into about 1,300 lives saved and the prevention of 34,000 injuries in’ Canada each year, The current seat belt laws re- quire all occupants of a vehicle to be buckled up. Drivers face a fine if passengers under the age of 16 aren’t wearing a seat Delt. According to ICBC, some peo- ple don’t bother wearing seat belts when they’re travelling in the back seat because they believe the front seats will protect them in a colli- sion. However, tests and traffic acci- dent statistics find that it is more likely that unbelted rear seat pas- sengers will be slammed into the driver or other occupants, or will be catapulted through the wind- shield. The chances of being killed are 25 times greater if you are ejected from a car. Drivers who feel that their air bag is protection enough in a crash are misleading themselves into a false, and potentially lethal, sense of security. Air bags are designed to provide supplemental protection when us- ed with seat belts. Buckling up still offers the best protection in crashes and, unlike air bags, seat belts are effective in rear and side impacts, roll-overs and slower front-end collisions. So remember, if you’re not wearing a seat belt, what’s stop- Ping you? 4962 RODEO 4X4 The best looking snort utility vehicle on the market, loaded with standard equipment and priced thousands of dollars below the competition. e Power windows « Heated front seats » Cruise control e Trip computer = Power locks e Adjustable folding rear seat e Air conditioning « Remote mirrors « 6-Speaker scund system « Adjustable head resis e 475 Litre trunk e Power steering « Alloy wheels » 2 Litre 16-valve « Head and leg room for over 6' tall people.