April 12, 2011 - The Northwest Territories has Canada’s lowest rate of seat belt use, and in the past five years, unbelted drivers and passengers were 13 times more likely to die as a result of a vehicle collision. This means that two to three deaths each year can be directly attributed to failure to wear a seat belt.Buckle Up NWT, a new initiative under the GNWT’s Drive Alive program, aims to reduce the number of fatalities each year due to not wearing a seat belt to zero, and increase the NWT rate of seat belt use to the national average.

“Each time there is a fatal collision in the NWT, families, friends, and communities suffer a great loss,” said Transportation Minister, Michael McLeod. “We need to work together to ensure that the use of safety equipment, such as seat belts, becomes second nature for all drivers and passengers so that we can put an end to these preventable tragedies.”

The NWT Fire Chiefs Association is joining with Drive Alive to support Buckle Up NWT. Association President Gerda Groothuizen says their focus is on prevention by encouraging the use of occupant restraints by all residents. “No one wants to be the one who deals with an accident scene where a child or parent has been seriously injured or killed, particularly when we know that the use of seat belts could have prevented that injury or death,” she said. “We will be part of this effort to save lives and reduce the severity of collision-related injuries.”

Over the next two years, the Buckle Up NWT campaign will engage youth as well as experienced drivers with information on the importance of seat belt use, with a particular focus on communities where seat belt use by drivers and passengers is an alarming 38% compared to 92% in Yellowknife. During the campaign, a contest will be held to find the community outside Yellowknife with the highest rate of seat belt use. The fire department of the winning community will receive $5,000 toward rescue equipment to assist them to respond to vehicle collisions.

Further details about the contest, as well as on additional partnerships to support Buckle Up NWT, will be provided in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit the Department of Transportation website at www.dot.gov.nt.ca.

Drive Alive is the travel safety information program of the Government of the Northwest Territories, and supports the GNWT’s Building Our Future strategic initiative by promoting safety on the roads and trails of the NWT.

For further information:
 

Earl Blacklock
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Transportation
Tel: (867) 873-7712 or (867) 445-3494 (cell)
Email: earl_blacklock@gov.nt.ca

Gerda Groothuizen
President, NWT Fire Chiefs Association
Tel: (867) 766-5502
Email: ggroothuizen@yellowknife.ca