One Person, One Seatbelt Legislation Passes
Every Passenger In A Motor Vehicle To Buckle Up
QUEEN'S PARK, ON, Oct. 31 /CNW/ - New legislation was passed today requiring that every vehicle has as many seatbelts as passengers.
Said Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield, "The 'one person - one
seatbelt' law will save lives. We've closed the loophole in previous
legislation that allowed more passengers than seatbelts in vehicles."
About one third of all drivers and passengers in fatal motor vehicle
collisions were not wearing seatbelts. Every one per cent increase in seatbelt usage saves five lives.
Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to make seatbelts
mandatory. The new "one person - one seatbelt" legislation will require every person in the vehicle to use a seatbelt or child car safety seat.
Drivers are responsible for ensuring passengers under 16 years of age are wearing seatbelts or are secured in appropriate child car safety seats. All passengers 16 years of age and older must ensure they wear a seatbelt.
"Since seatbelts were made mandatory, the number of people killed and injured in collisions has steadily dropped. The 'one person - one seatbelt' law will help put a stop to many preventable deaths and injuries on Ontario's roads," concluded Cansfield.
The legislation will be effective upon proclamation and once all
regulations are filed.
