"My Mum Says We Don't Really Need to Wear a Seatbelt on Short Journeys"

Last week I was involved in delivering an event to 9 and 10 year old children at a local fire station.  My colleagues and I were delivering in-car safety messages concentrating on the importance of wearing a seatbelt.

What continues to amaze me is the number of pupils who tell us they don't always wear a seatbelt, particularly on short journeys.  This is even more worrying as some of these children should still be using a booster seat.

The words of one pupil really stand out, and it's not the first time I've heard them:

"My mum says we don't really need to wear a seatbelt on short journeys."

It's not said proudly or shyly, just matter-of-fact, and it is at that point that I consider the magnitude of the task at hand.  We spend about 15 minutes with these pupils, and for this minority, and thankfully it is a minority, they already have a belief ingrained by their parents that we have little chance of changing.

According to the Department for Transport 89-95% of people in cars are observed wearing seatbelts, but that still means 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 aren't!  I don't think that figure has much chance of changing significantly unless we can change the behaviour of the adult role models.  It may be that diversionary courses that have been successful alternatives to other driving offences could work for seatbelts too, and I know this is being trialed in some areas.

Personally, I just can't understand a parent saying something like that to their children when it is a matter of their safety.  As a parent myself I would always be thinking "what if...?"