More Manitobans are buckling up, but road fatalities persist: MPI

Thirty percent of road deaths in Manitoba are linked to a lack of seatbelt use, according to a recent Transport Canada study.
While the study on seatbelt use found that more Manitobans are buckling up, there are still many who are killed because they are not using a belt, Manitoba Public Insurance reports.
Thirty-one people, on average, are killed annually in Manitoba because they fail to use a seatbelt, according to police reported data from 2005 to 2009.
During this time period, a total of 156 people were killed and another 325 were seriously injured due to a lack of seatbelt usage.
British Columbia has the highest seatbelt usage rate at 96.9 and Yukon has the worst at 78.1, according to two 2009 and 2010 Transport Canada observational studies. Manitoba had an overall seatbelt usage rate of 93.8, placing it sixth in Canada, MPI reports.
“Manitoba data clearly shows that people who fail to use their seatbelt significantly increase their risk to being killed or seriously injured if they are involved in a collision, particularly on highways where speeds are higher,” said Ted Hlynsky, vice-president, claims control & safety operations, MPI.
“As technologically advanced as the new vehicles have become over the years, not wearing a seatbelt still increases your chances of being killed or injured in a crash,” he added.
“In fact, according to police-reported data from Manitoba, you are nearly 14 times more likely to be killed and five times more likely to be seriously injured when not wearing a seatbelt.”