Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest and most effective ways of protecting yourself as a driver or passenger in a car. Each year around 20 per cent of all car occupants killed in road crashes were not wearing a restraint. Hundreds of other people are disabled for life in crashes where they were not wearing a seat belt.
It is illegal not to wear a seat belt.
How seat belts protect you
Responsibilities of drivers and passengers
Law on seat belts – offences and penalties
Wearing seat belts while pregnant
Make sure children are safe
Additional seat belts for small children
Moving children from a booster seat into an adult seat belt
Seat belts in school buses
Keep your seat belts in good condition
Seat belts in trucks
Employers should encourage wearing of seat belts
Myths about seat belts
Seat belts:
- Decrease the time it takes an occupant to come to a stop on impact
- Spread the impact force over a greater area of the body
- Minimise contact with the interior of the vehicle
- Prevent ejection.
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If you are the driver, before the car starts moving make sure:
- Your own seat belt is properly fastened and adjusted
- Your passengers’ seat belts are properly fastened and adjusted
- Any children are properly restrained.
If you are a passenger:
- Make sure your seat belt is properly fastened and adjusted
- Encourage the driver and other passengers to buckle up.
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By law every person travelling in a car must wear a seat belt if one is available.
Because wearing seat belts is so important for preventing death and injury, there are tough penalties for those who break the law. As the fines are indexed, penalties increase every year.
Seat belt offences and penalties (as at January 2008):
- Driver not wearing seat belt - driver fined more than $170 and 3 demerit points
- Passenger over 16 not wearing seat belt - passenger fined more than $170
- Passenger under 16 not wearing seat belt - driver fined $182 and 3 demerit points.
Exemptions apply to:
- Police and emergency vehicles
- People making door-to-door deliveries
- Passengers with medical conditions or physical disabilities certified by a registered medical practitioner
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Pregnancy is no reason not to wear a seat belt. By wearing a seat belt you are protecting yourself and your unborn baby if you are involved in a crash.
Tips for correctly and comfortably wearing a seat belt:
- Place the lap sash part of the belt under the bulge, as low as possible. The lap part of the seat belt should sit over the upper thighs and not across the bulge.
- You may be able to adjust the angle of the seat belt by using a seat belt locator.
- Place the sash part of the belt in between your breasts.
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Children must be restrained in a restraint suited to their size and weight and approved by Standards Australia. It is also important to make sure the restraint is correctly fitted to the car.
Choosing a child restraint Research shows that children need to be 140-150 cm tall before a seatbelt (which is designed for an adult male) can protect them effectively in a crash.
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Do not move your child into an adult seat belt until:
- The child is at least 140 cm tall.
- The adult seat belt fits correctly. The lap part is low over the pelvis (not the stomach) and the sash does not touch the child’s face or neck and all slack is removed.
- Lap/sash seat belts offer much greater protection than lap belts. Where possible put your child in a seating position with a lap/sash belt.
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In certain cars it is possible to fit an additional lap belt to accommodate a fourth small child in the back seat. Lap belts are not recommended on their own but are very safe if used in conjunction with a properly fitted child harness. Child Harnesses
For information on fitting an additional lap seat belt view vehicle standards information and download the additional seat belts bulletin 15 pdf.
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If the bus has seatbelts, then they must be used. But remember, only one seat belt must be used per person.
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If you are a car owner, check the condition of your seat belts as part of your maintenance routine. Make sure:
- The seat belts themselves are not twisted, frayed or cut
- The buckles engage and release properly
- The retractors work well – the seat belt should pull out smoothly and be fully retracted when not in use.
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It is a legal requirement for truck drivers to wear a seat belt where available. Studies have revealed that truck drivers wearing seat belts have about four times greater chance of survival in a crash than those truck drivers not wearing a seat belt.
One of the biggest advantages of wearing a seat belt is that it holds the truck driver firmly in their seat. This can help them better control the truck and perhaps avoid a crash in the first place. Under Occupational Health and Safety legislation, employers are
obliged to encourage truck drivers to wear seat belts.
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Your employer has a legal ‘duty of care’ to ensure your safety in the workplace and many organisations encourage the wearing of seat belts. These include:
- Ensuring appropriate seat belts are fitted and maintained in a serviceable condition in all company vehicles
- Requiring seat belts to be worn by drivers and all passengers travelling in company vehicles
- Requiring seat belts to be worn by fork lift operators
- Ensuring seat belts are regularly checked and maintained for wear and tear
- Providing counselling to anyone found not wearing a seat belt.
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These myths about seat belts are untrue:
- It’s only a short trip so I don’t need to wear one
Wrong. Most road crashes occur within 10 km of home, so it’s very important to buckle up on a short trip.
- I don’t need a seat belt because I don’t travel very fast
Wrong. A crash at 40 km/h has the same impact as falling from a two storey building onto concrete.
- The back seat is safer
Wrong. Research shows that the back seat is no safer than the front seat if you’re not wearing a seat belt.
- It’s not my concern if my passenger does not wear a seat belt
Wrong. In a crash, an unrestrained passenger is a lethal weapon capable of killing or seriously injuring others in the car.
- Pregnant women don’t have to wear seat belts
Wrong. Only if the passenger carries a certificate signed by a qualified medical practitioner stating that there are medical reasons for not using a seat belt can a pregnant women travel without one. A seat belt worn correctly will protect both the mother and the unborn child.
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