Road users risking their lives by not wearing a seatbelt will be the target of Police this weekend, during Operation Belt Up.
Eight of the lives lost on South Australian roads this year have involved a person not wearing seatbelt, and in the last five years 71 or 16% of loves lost are attributed to the same.
Attitudinal studies commissioned by SAPOL's Media Road Safety Unit indicate that forces of habit or a lapse in judgment are not the most common reasons for failing to belt up.
Alarmingly, research conducted over a 10 year period reveals that not wearing a seatbelt is largely an active choice and a decision motivated by feelings of freedom, control and enjoyment.
Superintendent Bob Gray, Officer in Charge of SAPOL's Traffic Services Branch says it is extremely disappointing that some motorists still choose not to use the proven life-saving device.
"Vehicle occupants are 10 times more likely to be killed in a crash if they're not wearing a seatbelt," Superintendent Gray said.
"Travelling a short distance, being close to home, time of day and light traffic conditions are amongst the reasons cited for choosing not to wear a seatbelt but none of these justify the decision to risk lives on our roads."
Operation Belt Up is a 3-day statewide operation and Superintendent Gray says road users in regional areas will be as much a focus as those in metropolitan areas.
"Research shows that regional drivers are more likely to choose not to wear a seatbelt when they are transitioning from a private property to a public road," Superintendent Gray said.
"With nearly 70% of South Australian road deaths occurring in rural areas, choosing not to secure a seatbelt before leaving a rural residential property significantly increases the risk of injury and death to drivers and passengers in regional areas."
Operation Belt Up will commence at 0001 hours on Saturday 1 August 2020 and will conclude at 2359 on Monday 3 August 2020.
Operation Belt Up was last conducted from 27 to 29 May 2020 when a total of 113 detections were recorded across the state through a combination of traffic reports and cautions. This represents a 7 per cent decrease in detections from the same operation in September 2019.
