Why don’t we wear our seatbelts? - John Williamson

I scratch my head trying to figure out why so many drivers and their passengers don’t wear their seatbelt Photo / 123rf

OPINION

I don’t like being told what to do. This goes way back. My mother told of an instance when I, as a two-year-old, was doing something she did not approve of. She was in the next room. It was probably an inconsequential thing but there was a contest here. She asked me again to stop, I continued. She told me again, so I shut the door so she could not see what I was doing.

Obviously I wasn’t in any danger but it’s a parental thing. I escaped the wooden spoon that time but today’s parents would probably talk about it, convincing me of the merits of not doing what I was doing and the consequences of my continuing.

Today, I scratch my head trying to figure out why so many drivers and their passengers don’t wear their seatbelts and reflect that, perhaps times have not changed, and we don’t like being told what to do.

Psychologists call it Psychological Reactance, which is our brains response to a threat to our freedom. This includes anytime someone suggests or makes us do something against our will. Reactance motivates us to protect our own beliefs and views, and sometimes do the opposite to what we’re being asked to do. Like deliberately not wearing our seatbelts or sitting on the buckled belt to stop the noise.

Seems crazy but the consequences can be very real. I receive the CAS reports for fatal road accidents in Northland, and since the beginning of January this year, five of our eleven road fatalities have been because they were unrestrained. They make stark reading.

“2nd January- Both front seat occupants were unrestrained. A 6-month-old baby in car seat, possibly not secured in vehicle, has died at the scene.

12th February- Logging truck rolls. Driver was ejected from the cab and was deceased at the scene.

14th February- Vehicle rolled a number of times before landing on its wheels. During the roll, the driver was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

15th February- Left rear passenger was found hanging halfway out of the door window under the side of the vehicle.

22nd February- 17year old female ejected from car and found dead at the scene.”

In each of these instances, there was a range of reasons for the crash. Speed, distraction, alcohol or a simple mistake. The reason each of them died, though, is they were unrestrained in the vehicle on the road. All absolutely preventable and I can’t figure it out.

The problem is endemic in Northland. About 40 percent of our road fatalities, year on year, are because someone in the car, usually the driver, was not restrained.

The police report to last months Regional Transport Committee indicated in the six months, July to December 2023, there were 1942 offences for lack of restraint wearing on Northland roads.

Way above the national figures and extraordinary, when you consider how difficult it is to detect an unrestrained driver or passenger on the road. There is a strong likelihood that many of these were detected in the 7906 officer issued speeding offences or the 62,587 roadside breath screening tests.

It is great to see this level of police presence and activity on our roads this year but astonishing to see the level of unrestrained offending.

The Government released its Government Policy Statement on Transport earlier this week and it is encouraging to see the proposed level of investment in roading infrastructure.

Encouraging also is the acknowledgement of a review of the decades out-of-date level of fines and penalties for driving offences. Specifically mentioned is the likelihood of lifting the penalty for non restraint wearing from $150 to $450. Still not comparable internationally but a recognition of the issue.

But, back to psychological reactance. Is the level of restraint offending due to a conscious reaction of being told what to do, or is it just slackness on behalf of the offenders, or is it a death wish combined with a feeling of being bullet proof behind the wheel?

Perhaps we need to learn a bit more about that. While we may not like being told what to do, most times it is for our own good.