He doesn't always wear a seatbelt, but the story made him think twice.
"I read the article and it made a lot of sense," he said.
"The number of people who survive crashes that have been wearing seatbelts, and the number of people killed because they haven't been - it's staggering.
"So when I got into the car this morning I thought 'actually, I better put it on'.
"When this hit was looming in front of me today I thought it was curtains, but thankfully wearing a seatbelt made the difference of being here unscathed. I will always wear a seatbelt from now on."
Norman Donald crashed near Rotorua today and would have been killed if he was not wearing a seatbelt. Photograph supplied
Donald left his Lake Tarawera home to head into Rotorua for an appointment.
As he neared the city he collided with a rubbish truck.
"I came around the corner and blow me down, the truck was right across the road, heading directly for me.
"It was a great big truck. Had I not been wearing a seatbelt . . ."
Donald said that, previously, he didn't wear his seatbelt every time he got in the car.
"Being of the old school, there are times where I find seatbelts to be a nuisance and I just don't bother," he admitted.
"I'll always wear one after today though. If I didn't put the belt on I probably wouldn't be here now.
Donald suffered minor injuries and walked away from the crash.
"I don't always drive around without a seatbelt on, but I will wear it from now on."
He wanted others to learn from his experience, and had a "very clear message".
"In future I will always wear a seatbelt because without one today I wouldn't have had another chance."
In the past five years, more than 300 people who died in New Zealand crashes were not wearing a seatbelt.
More died last year than in any other single year.
The Herald, in partnership with the New Zealand Police has launched Belt Up - a four-day series about seat belt safety aiming to raise awareness and improve safety for all Kiwis on our roads.
