Dubai: A majority of university students in the UAE still do not think it smart to use seat belts despite the vast majority of them knowing someone who was involved in a car accident.
A recent survey by the BMW Group among 18- to 23-year-olds in the country found "55 per cent admitted to never or only occasionally wearing a seat belt, while almost 70 per cent see it as necessary only if sitting in the front".
"Even less safety is practiced by young drivers to ensure that their passengers are protected in an accident, with 57 per cent neglecting to insist that passengers buckle up," the survet report said.
Yet more than 92 per cent admitted to knowing someone involved in an accident.
The UAE has one of the world's highest rates of road fatalities — an average of 19.9 deaths per 100,000 population in the three years up to 2010.
BMW plans to use the findings in its road safety campaign this year, joined by the Health Authority — Abu Dhabi (HAAD), Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority and the Higher Colleges of Technology.
Some key numbers that should ensure drivers and passengers will strap on:
- Road traffic accidents account for 67 per cent of all injury-related deaths in Abu Dhabi.
- Only 29 per cent of drivers wear seat belts
- 83 per cent of belted and restrained children remain uninjured in accidents.
- 74 per cent of road traffic fatalities are caused by human factors, such as speeding, not using the seatbelt and child safety restraints and reckless driving..
