Seatbelts
Everyone in a vehicle, the driver and all passengers, must wear a correctly fitted and adjusted seatbelt. This includes taxi drivers and taxi passengers.
Although it has been compulsory to wear seatbelts in New South Wales since 1971, each year on average there are about 30 drivers and passengers killed and 220 injured who were not wearing available seatbelts. Many of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented if seatbelts had been used. In the City of Canada Bay, between 2013 and 2016, 13 road crashes were recorded with occupants not wearing a seatbelt leading to injury.
What happens if a front seat occupant doesn't wear a seatbelt?
In a crash, a person who is not restrained by a seatbelt will continue to travel forward at the speed the vehicle was travelling until something stops them. This could be the steering wheel, dashboard or windscreen. In some crashes, the person may burst through one of the windows and be partially or fully ejected from the vehicle, exposing them to other dangers. They might hit fixed objects or be run over or crushed by their own, or another, vehicle. Even if the vehicle is fitted with an airbag, the force at which an unrestrained occupant strikes the airbag can cause serious injuries.
What happens if my rear seat passengers don’t wear a seatbelt?
In a crash, an unrestrained rear-seat occupant continues to travel forward until his or her progress is impeded, usually by one of the front seats. In a severe crash, the force with which the seat is struck is usually sufficient to cause the seat mountings or seat structure to fail. The front seatbelt must then not only restrain the front-seat occupant, but also the failed seat and rear-seat occupant. Seatbelt failures have been reported under these circumstances, resulting in both front and rear occupants sustaining severe and sometimes fatal injuries. Even after striking the seat in front, the passenger's momentum will usually force their upper body over the top of the seat. Apart from causing them serious injuries, their head can strike a dangerous blow to the front seat occupant. Front seat occupants have been killed or seriously injured in this way.