August, 2000

Second rural seat belt use survey done

Looking at the results from SGI’s latest rural seat belt usage survey, it appears more motorists in rural Saskatchewan are buckling up. However, SGI traffic safety experts say that seat belt use in these areas of the province is still too low.

"Last year SGI conducted its first rural seat belt use survey, which confirmed our suspicions that seat belt use was lower in these areas. Since then, we’ve done more work towards educating rural motorists and promoting the benefits of seat belts," said Kwei Quaye, SGI’s Manager of Traffic Safety Program Evaluation.

"There is a slight improvement over last year’s numbers, but we have a long way to go before we can be satisfied with survey results from these areas."

SGI statistics show that in 1999, 36 people died in vehicle crashes on Saskatchewan’s rural roads, and 24 of them, or 67 per cent, were not wearing their seat belts. Statistics show that seat belts can increase your chances of survival in a traffic accident by almost 50 per cent.

According to recent seat belt usage surveys by Transport Canada, approximately 90 per cent of the province’s light duty vehicle occupants wear their seat belts. These surveys are mainly done in urban centres in the province, which is why SGI conducts its own seat belt usage surveys in rural areas of the province.

For the second year in a row, SGI commissioned a survey examining seat belt use in some rural communities of the province. The same communities chosen for last year’s survey were used again for the project. The communities were Assiniboia, Biggar, Canora, Carlyle, Esterhazy, Gravelbourg, Kindersley, Meadow Lake, Nipawin and Pierceland.

The survey showed that of the areas that participated, Assiniboia again had the best record for buckling up, with 85.8 per cent of drivers and right-front seat passengers wearing their seat belts, up from last year’s results of 82.0 per cent. Canora wasn’t too far behind, with 84.5 per cent, a considerable increase from last year’s results of 79.5 per cent. Gravelbourg, which was at the bottom of the list last year, saw the most significant improvement over last year’s results of 67.5 per cent compared to this year’s 73.2 per cent.

The survey results also indicate that of vehicle type, pick-up trucks fared the worst with 74.3 per cent of vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts. Other vehicles included in the survey did significantly better and included sport utility vehicles (81.5%), minivans and vans (82.7%) and passenger cars (84.9%).

As well, the survey shows that males were less likely to buckle up, with 76.3 per cent restrained, compared to 86.5 per cent of females.

Quaye says, like last year, the data will be distributed to law enforcement agencies around the province. As well, SGI will continue to use the data in targeting education and accident prevention initiatives, hopefully resulting in improved seat belt use in rural areas. One of these education initiatives is SGI’s rural seat belt campaign beginning Aug. 27 and includes radio advertisements and poster distribution. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number and severity of injuries on all Saskatchewan roads.

"We hope that the results from this survey, along with our traffic accident statistics, will increase the effectiveness of our efforts to educate the public on the importance of buckling up," said Quaye.

Results from SGI rural seat belt use survey

Percentage of sample who were wearing their seat belt

For more information, contact:
Kwei Quaye
Manager, Traffic Safety Program Evaluation
SGI
Regina
Phone: (306) 775-6182

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