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Seat-belt fines rise dramatically

Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (May 13/02) - Buckle up or pay up -- that's the message behind a stiff increase in fines for people who don't wear their seat-belts.



Inuvik RCMP Const. Sheldon Robb says many motorists are surprised to learn they could be fined hundreds of dollars for failing to wear their seat-belt and ensure children are properly belted. - Lynn Lau/NNSL photo



Motorists caught driving or riding without a seat-belt can now be fined $115, and drivers transporting unbelted children face an even stiffer penalty -- $230 for each child under 15.

The same charge of $230 can also be levied for failure to use proper car seats for infants and toddlers. In the NWT, all children under 18 kilograms (40 pounds) must be belted into a car seat, infants under nine kilograms (20 pounds), must be in a rear-facing car seat.

Before April 1, the fine for seat-belt violations was just $40.

"Fines are used as a deterrent," said Gary Walsh, director of road licensing and safety for the Department of Transportation. "We've in-creased the fines to identify the seriousness of not wearing a seat-belt. Legislation has been in place for 25 years but in NWT, seat-belt usage is the among the lowest in the country."

A Transport Canada survey completed in July 2001 suggested that about 63 per cent of people (driving or riding in passenger vehicles) in the territory wear their seat-belts. That's the second-lowest rate in the country, with Nunavut rating the lowest at 13 per cent. The national average is 90 per cent.

In Inuvik, police have been stopping people not wearing their seat-belts to warn them about the new changes. "A lot of people are shocked at the increase," says Const. Sheldon Robb. "We want to get the public awareness up before levying the fines, so we're taking the approach of letting people know. But it's always the officers' discretion -- there can always be fines laid."

Robb says that in Inuvik, most people seem to be wearing their belts. Those who don't often say they're just driving down the street. But the low speed limits in town are no excuse not to buckle up, Robb says. "Injuries and even death can occur at any point, even in town at the lower speed limits. Seat-belts make a huge difference."

In Yellowknife, Sgt. Phil Johnson said the detachment isn't doing any new public education because of the new fines. "We've simply re-mained as vigilant as we always are with that type of offence," Johnson says. "Seat-belt regulations have been in place for many years and the grace period ended long ago -- there's no excuse for not wearing your seat-belt. We're just continuing to do business as usual."

Along with new seat-belt fines, new regulations were put in place to ban passengers from riding in the back of a pickup truck. Previously, people were allowed to ride in the back of a truck if the driver was going less than 30 km/h. New rules also took effect making it an offence to carry more passengers in a vehicle than there are seat-belts -- formerly a grey area in the legislation.