KEY POINTS:
Wearing a lapbelt instead of a full seatbelt contributed to the death of an elderly woman in a head-on collision earlier this year, Auckland coroner Murray Jamieson has ruled.
Annie Borgman of Auckland was dozing in the back of a Nissan Rnessa when the car was hit by an out of control Mercedes on State Highway 1 near Te Hana in January.
The 77-year-old, who had been wearing a lapbelt, suffered serious injuries and died in the back of an ambulance as it prepared to leave for hospital.
Mrs Borgman's son-in-law, daughter and two grandchildren - who were wearing over-the-shoulder seatbelts - were taken to hospital with a range of injuries but all survived.
The driver of the Mercedes, Sayed Sarwari, died from multiple injuries and was found to have caused the accident.
At an inquest yesterday police said Mrs Borgman died as a result of injuries caused by the lapbelt she was wearing in the middle of the back seat.
"On impact, the upper half of Annie's body would have projected forward, causing the belt to have cut heavily into her waist," said Senior Constable Paul Herman.
"Her injuries and her subsequent death are directly related to the fact that her lapbelt was the only restraint available."
Dr Jamieson ruled Mrs Borgman's death was due to the lapbelt injuries but said her age also played a role. He suggested she might have recovered had she been younger.
Based on evidence from the serious crash unit, Dr Jamieson said that while the lapbelt played a part in her death, not wearing the belt might have still caused fatal injuries as she would have been thrown forward and possibly through the windscreen.
Had that happened there might have also been further fatalities, as Mrs Borgman's body might have hit her son-in-law or daughter as she was thrown into the front of the car.
Dr Jamieson concluded that cars with lapbelts were much less safe than cars with anchorage points across the shoulder.
However, not wearing any kind of belt was also dangerous, he said.
There have been calls in the past for lapbelts to be replaced with three-point seatbelts because of the serious injuries they cause.
In February, Huntly coroner Bob McDermott said injuries caused by the lapbelts were horrendous and it would be better for people not to wear them.
Mr McDermott cited the case of Hamilton woman Ana Marie Le Roux, who suffered major internal organ damage as a result of wearing a lapbelt in a head-on crash on State Highway 1 near Huntly in 2003.
Following publicity about Ms Le Roux's injuries, seatbelt manufacturers were flooded with inquiries from people wanting to replace lapbelts, only to be deterred by costs of $1500-$2000 for each three-point belt.
Land Transport said lapbelts were still legal and recommended people wear whatever belt was available in a car, as lapbelts were safer than not being restrained at all.
About one million cars in New Zealand are believed to still have lapbelts or no belts in the back seat.
