Shocking seat belts advert aims to save a life each day

A shocking new THINK! campaign to highlight the deadly consequences of not always wearing a seat belt has been launched Road by Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick.

New statistics show one life could be saved each day if all drivers and passengers belted up every time they got in a car.

Graphic images of the fatal damage caused to internal organs are shown in a new TV advert highlighting the three devastating crashes you experience in a road accident if you are not wearing a seat belt.

The £2.6m THINK! campaign comes after research showed that while very few people never wear a seat belt, many drivers and passengers are gambling with their lives by not belting up every time they get in a car. They are risking death or serious injury, even at everyday speeds like 30mph.

Jim Fitzpatrick said: "Every day someone dies simply because they are not wearing a seat belt. That's a tragic waste that could be avoided if everyone took the simple step of belting up whenever they got in a car.

"If you have a crash without wearing a seat belt you actually experience three crashes, even at everyday speeds like 30mph. First, your car crashes and stops. Second - because there's nothing to stop you moving - your body carries on and hits the inside of the car. Third, you stop but your internal organs keep moving, hitting the inside of your body and tearing under the force of the impact.

"I hope this hard-hitting new campaign will help everyone realise that they are risking their life whenever they get in a car and don't put their seat belt on."

You are twice as likely to die in a crash if you are not wearing a seat belt and a new analysis of casualty figures shows about one life each day could be saved in Britain if everyone always wore a belt.

Seat belts have prevented an estimated 60,000 deaths and 670,000 serious injuries since 1983 when seat belts were made mandatory for drivers and front seat passengers.

The new THINK! campaign, which includes television, radio, cinema, ambient and online advertising, is based on detailed research into people's seat belt wearing habits. It showed that:

* People are less likely to wear seat beats on low speed, short journeys on familiar roads - even though they are still risking their lives in these cases.

* Young men are least likely to always wear a seat belt.

* Some people believe they don't need to wear a seat belt if the car has airbags. That's wrong - airbags are designed to be used with seat belts. They supplement them and will not provide adequate protection on their own.

The advert is so realistic and hard-hitting it can only be shown after 9pm. An edited version has been produced for earlier showings - describing but not showing the damage to internal organs.