Police focusing on seat belts in October
The Alberta Traffic Safety Plan for October is focusing on occupant restraints and the Drumheller RCMP will be conducting various enforcement activities pertaining to seatbelts.
Seatbelts are the single most cost effective life saving device to protect occupants in a motor vehicle collision. 
It is the law to buckle up in all seats of the vehicle; otherwise, occupants become a deadly weapon to others in the vehicle.
Wearing your seatbelt is a simple action that could make the difference between life and death. The use of occupant restraints reduces the likelihood of sustaining an injury and the severity of injury decreases as well.
Research and collision investigations show that seatbelts increase the chances of survival in a collision by 50%. According to Transport Canada, almost 40% of drivers and passengers killed in collisions were not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.
It takes seconds to buckle up and a lifetime to make up for a loss.
Facts to Know:
· In Alberta, wearing a seatbelt is required by law.
· In Alberta, the fine for not wearing a seatbelt is $115. Drivers are also responsible for the proper restraint of children under 16.
· Passengers are not exempt from the consequences of fines, injuries or deaths resulting from not wearing a seatbelt.
· Occupants using a restraint reduce the likelihood of sustaining an injury and the severity of injury decreases.
· Seatbelts save about 1000 lives per year in Canada.
· Seat belts distribute the force of a collision evenly to the stronger parts of a person’s body. In a crash, a vehicle travelling 50 kilometres per hour comes to an abrupt stop in 1/100th of a second. At 50 kilometres per hour, an unrestrained person, weighing 80 kilograms (176 pounds), will strike whatever they hit first with a force of 2,785 kilograms (6,215 pounds).
· Airbags only function properly if the occupant is restrained in a proper position by a seat belt. Airbags deploy at an explosive speed and can cause injury if the occupant is not properly positioned. Airbags are a supplemental device.
· Vehicles are designed with an engineered life space, which can withstand the force of most impacts. Seatbelts keep occupants in this space where they are safest.
· In a collision, one unrestrained occupant increases the risk for all occupants in the vehicle. An unrestrained occupant may hit something or someone inside the vehicle; or they may be thrown from their vehicle into another object.
· Child safety restraints are required by law for children under the age of 6 who weigh less than 18 kilograms (40 pounds).
· A child under 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and one year of age is safest in a rear facing child restraint. Be sure to consult the owner’s manual for guidelines.
· Forward facing child restraints should have shoulder straps that originate at or above the shoulders.
· Booster seats are recommended for children under the age of 9, 18 to 36 kilograms (80 pounds) or 145 centimeters (58 inches).
· Without a booster seat, a child is four times more likely to suffer a significant injury.
· Children under the age of 12 are safest in the back seat of a vehicle in proper restraints based on their age, height and weight.