Saskatchewan police issued 490 tickets in June to drivers and passengers for either not wearing a seatbelt, wearing it wrong or having children not properly restrained to their seat.
“It is unbelievable that police caught this many people not using or wearing a seatbelt or wearing one improperly in a single month,” Saskatchewan Government Insurance said in a press release Wednesday.
“The evidence is clear. Seatbelts save lives. Not wearing one makes you more likely to die or be seriously injured in a vehicle collision.“
Broken down, 313 tickets were given out to drivers and 51 tickets to passengers for failing to properly use or wear a seatbelt.
Forty-three tickets were issued to drivers for driving with a passenger under the age of seven not properly restrained and 83 tickets were handed out related to other seatbelt and child restraints.
“Vehicles have a protective cage around the occupants to protect them in the event of a serious collision, directing the violent forces around the passenger compartment and away from the people inside,” SGI said.
“Skipping the seatbelt means you could have a violent trip through a windshield and onto the pavement beyond. You’re three times more likely to be killed if you are ejected from a vehicle and 17 times more likely to be ejected if you’re not wearing a seatbelt.”
Police also handed out 6,458 tickets related to speeding and aggressive driving offences, 974 distracted driving tickets and 447 impaired driving offences in June.