Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya has praised a dramatic rise in seat belt use during an awareness raising visit to Costa Rica.
The Colombian racing star was in Costa Rica at the invitation of the Automobile Club of Costa Rica to help raise awareness about the importance of always wearing a seat belt. At a press conference in San José attended by Montoya and the Transport Minister of Costa Rica, Randal Quiros, the results of the second national seat belt wearing survey were announced. The survey, conducted in August 2004, was organised to evaluate the effects of a combination of compulsory seat belt legislation, police enforcement and a nationwide awareness campaign backed by the FIA Foundation. The survey results show a sharp increase in seat belt wearing rates from the first survey held in July 2003, prior to the start of the campaign.
Seat belt wearing rates have increased as follows:
| |
July 2003 |
August 2004 |
% Increase |
| Drivers |
24% |
82% |
+58% |
| Front seat passengers |
16% |
76% |
+60% |
| Back seat passengers |
10% |
48% |
+38% |
| Child seats |
08% |
37% |
+29% |
The survey also included interviews with drivers in an attempt to understand why people don’t wear seat belts; whether they know what the risks are of not wearing seat belts; what they believe to be the most efficient measures to increase seat belt use; and what messages or images they remembered from the awareness campaigns. This revealed some interesting results:
- The longer the journey, the more likely drivers are to use their seat belt
- Reasons given for not wearing a seat belt is that people find it uncomfortable (they find it hard to move, it bothers them when it is hot or they find that the anchorage of the seatbelt is too high) or because they keep forgetting about putting the seat belt on
- However people seem to be aware that not wearing a seat belt when you have an accident can cause serious injuries or even be fatal (90.81% of the drivers)
- Of those questioned, 68% remembered seeing or hearing the seat belt awareness campaign on TV or radio
The survey also studied whether the behaviour of the driver who does not buckle up has an influence on the passengers. The analysis of the data shows that there is indeed a correlation. Front seat passengers are more likely not to wear their seat belts (71%) if the driver is not buckling up. Back seat passengers seem to have even fewer incentives to put their seat belt on (87% not buckling up). But if adult passengers decide for themselves whether or not they want to be safe, in the case of children it means that none will be properly restrained if the driver is not wearing a seat belt. One clear result from the evaluation survey is that a lot of work still needs to be done to get across the message that child restraints are vital for protecting children in cars.
As well as supporting the launch of the seat belt evaluation survey, Juan Pablo Montoya was guest of honour at an awards ceremony to recognize the political leaders who made possible the new seat belt legislation and who gave whole hearted support to the awareness campaign. Javier Chavez, the former Minister for Transport; Karla Gonzalez, the former vice-Minister for Transport; Ignacio Sanchez, former Head of Traffic Police and Head of the Road Safety Council and Mario Redondo, the former President of the Parliament, were all presented with awards at the ceremony.
The end of this campaign is not the end of the country’s efforts to change the attitudes and behaviour of Costa Rican road users. Police enforcement of the new seat belt will be sustained and the TV spots that were produced for the campaign will be on air again soon.