A close look at seat belt-related road deaths on Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-patrolled roads in recent years suggest that males place far less importance on wearing a seat belt than females do.
Over the past five years (2011-2015), a total of 332 people have died in collisions on OPP-patrolled roads as a result of not wearing a seat belt. According to OPP data, 261 of the victims were males and 71 were females.
As the OPP prepares for their Spring Seat Belt Campaign over the Easter Long Weekend, they are sharing some insight into seat belt attitudes and why they believe there have been almost four times as many male seat belt-related deaths as female deaths in the same causal factor category.
“Our data suggests a strong presence of male drivers and male passengers who believe that they are at a lower risk of being involved in a collision than other people, and who do not see a need to wear a seat belt. This attitude works against our efforts to save lives on our roads.”
J.V.N. (Vince) Hawkes, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner.
“Ontario’s roads are among the safest in North America and it is everyone’s responsibility to keep them that way. Everyone knows that seat belts save lives so buckle up – it only takes a moment but can make all the difference. Do your part to help the dedicated OPP officers keep our roads safe for everyone this weekend and throughout the year.”
