Hampshire County Council is running a campaign to encourage drivers and passengers to belt-up, in light of DfT figures revealing that around 14% of people still do not wear a seatbelt.
The campaign is due to run for eight weeks, from July through to the beginning of September, and will be repeated in November and again in March 2012.
In the last five years in Hampshire, 59% of recorded collisions where the driver or passenger were not wearing a seatbelt, resulted in fatal or serious injuries.
The council’s road safety team is targeting a number of audiences with its campaign, including younger drivers and passengers (aged 17-34) who have the lowest seatbelt wearing rates nationally – combined with the highest accident rates.
Marc Samways, traffic management and road safety manager, said: “Most of us automatically fasten our seatbelts before setting out in the car, but DfT research shows that there are still some people who either do not wear a seatbelt, or do, but incorrectly, therefore rendering it useless.
“There is evidence that people are less likely to use seatbelts on short or familiar journeys – but no matter how well you know the route or how short it is, you could still be involved in an accident, and a seatbelt could make the difference between walking away or not. Hopefully this campaign will help reinforce the message that seatbelts save lives.”
The radio campaign uses four different scripts and is being broadcast across three regional stations.
For more information or to listen to the radio adverts contact Charlotte Tilling on 01962 832204.
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