B.C. Coroner study draws links between seat belt use and fatal crashes

The B.C. Coroners Service has just completed a detailed study of fatal motor vehicle crashes in the Interior of the province, which shows a high proportion of those who died were not wearing seatbelts.

“Although numerous studies by the RCMP and Transport Canada show that at least 90% of British Columbians wear their seatbelts, the Coroners Service study showed that fewer than 60% of those who died were wearing them at the time they crashed,” the B.C. Coroners Service says in a press release.

The study analyzed 85 fatal vehicle crashes in the Interior region of B.C. in 2010. “Of the 85 cases, only 47% were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, 41% were definitely not, and seatbelt usage was unknown in 12% of the cases,” the release says.

Gender made little difference as to whether or not someone wore their seatbelt, the study found.

“Of the males who died, 45% were wearing seatbelts, and 41.5% were not wearing them, with seatbelt usage unknown for 13.5% per cent,” the Coroner’s Service observed. “Of the females who died, 50% were wearing them, and 41%, with usage unknown for 9%.”

The study also found that people who drink and drive tend not to wear seat belts.

“Persons involved in a crash in which the driver was impaired by alcohol or drugs were significantly less likely to have been wearing their seatbelt,” the release notes. “In cases in which impairment was a factor, only 25% of those who died had been wearing their seatbelts. Sixty-four per cent had not, and usage was unknown for 11%.

“But in cases in which impairment was not a factor, 58% were wearing their seatbelts, 30% were not, and usage was unknown in 12%.”

Finally, the study found tourists and people who did not live in the B.C. Interior were significantly more likely to have been wearing seatbelts than local residents.

“This mirrors the finding of many studies which show persons are more likely to wear seatbelts on lengthy trips, such as highway driving, than on short trips around their home communities,” the Coroners Service says.