Car accident deaths are up due to lack of seat belt use - Buckle up

October 15, 2019, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The OPP have launched a new seat belt campaign throughout Ontario as they report a twenty per cent increase in seat-belt deaths.

They reported in September that 43 people have died in crashes who were not fastened in their seat belts. That is 20% more people than died in crashes least year at this time. The OPP crack down ended October 11 and we will wait for the stats to be released on how many people were caught not using their seatbelts.

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of accidental death in Canada, and we know that seatbelts save lives and reduce the severity of injury. The OPP indicate that of the 230 crashes linked to lack of seat belt use over the last 5 years almost half of those involved were ejected from their cars and died, while another 130 who were not ejected still died as a result of personal injury inside the car.

First responders all have stories of the horrors of arriving on the scene of car accidents in which people have been ejected. They will tell you first hand the value of using a seat belt every time you get into a car whether you’re going around the block or across the country.

Police and all first responders also encourage people to make sure that all children are buckled in properly in the correct infant car seat, car seat or booster and that those seats are securely and properly attached to the car. You can read about car seat use here, and there are regular car seat clinics held at police and fire stations throughout the country.

From the MTO website:

Using the right child car seat is the best way to prevent serious injury to children in collisions. This information will help you find the right child car seat for your child's height, weight and development.

What to look for

When you buy a child car seat for use in Canada, look for the National Safety Mark label attached to the seat. This label indicates that the seat complies with Canadian regulations and standards and is legal for use in Canada.

Every child car seat and booster seat sold in Canada has an expiry or useful life date on it and should not be used past that date.

Child car seats for infants

Newborn babies and infants need special protection while in a vehicle. In a collision, a properly installed rear-facing child car seat can save your baby's life.

Ontario's Highway Traffic Act requires children to use a rear-facing car seat until the child weighs at least 9 kg (20 lb.).

It's best to keep your child in a rear-facing child car seat until they reach the manufacturer's recommended maximum weight and height limits. Some rear-facing car seats are made for children that weigh up to 20 kg (45 lb.)

When a child outgrows the maximum weight or height limits of an infant rear-facing car seat, they may move to a larger convertible infant/child car seat and stay rear-facing until the child is ready to face forward.

Child car seats for toddlers

Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act allows children weighing 9 kg to 18 kg (20 to 40 lb.) to use a forward-facing child car seat or a rear-facing car seat as long as the car seat manufacturer recommends its use.

It's best to keep your child in a forward-facing child car seat until they reach the manufacturer's recommended maximum weight and height limits.

A forward-facing car seat uses a tether strap to prevent the child car seat from moving forward and causing injury in a collision. It is important to use the tether strap exactly as the manufacturer recommends.

Booster seats

Booster seats raise children so adult seat belts protect them better. Booster seats protect children from serious injury 3-½ times better than seat belts alone.

Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act requires children weighing 18 kg to 36 kg (40 to 80 lb.), standing less than 145 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) tall and who are under the age of 8 to use a booster seat or allows the continued use of a forward-facing seat as long as the car seat manufacturer recommends its use. It’s best to keep your child in a booster seat until they reach the manufacturer’s recommended maximum weight and height limits.

Seatbelts

Seatbelts are designed for adults and older children. Children may be ready to move from a booster seat to a vehicle's seatbelt once:

• they can sit all the way against the back of the vehicle seat with legs bent comfortably over the edge and maintain this position for the entire trip
• they can have the shoulder belt flat across the shoulder and chest
• the lap belt crosses over the hips, not the stomach

Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act allows a child to use a seatbelt alone when any one of the following occurs:

• Child turns 8 years old, or
• Child weighs 36 kg (80 lb.), or
• Child is 145 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) tall or more

All drivers are responsible for ensuring that passengers under 16 are secured properly.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.