Rear seat belts save lives: a 30-year Swiss milestone
For 30 years now, seat belts have been compulsory in the rear seats of cars in Switzerland. Current data from the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) and the Federal Statistical Office confirm the effectiveness of this road safety measure.
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Despite increasing traffic, the number of people killed and seriously injured on Swiss roads has fallen sharply in recent decades. According to the Federal Roads Office, there were a total of 18,254 accidents with personal injury on Swiss roads in 2023. There were 236 fatalities, 4,096 serious injuries, and 17,404 minor injuries. Of the fatalities, 22 were passengers.
In 1994, before the introduction of compulsory rear seat belts, 637 people died in 23,527 accidents, with 5,923 serious injuries and 16,967 minor injuries. At that time, 106 of the fatalities were passengers.
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Wearing a seat belt: now standard practice
According to the BFU, 96% of drivers, 95% of front-seat passengers, and 92% of rear-seat passengers now wear a seat belt. There are only slight regional differences.
By comparison, in 2000, significantly fewer drivers (77%) and only 32% of rear-seat passengers used a seat belt.
Wearing seat belts has prevented more than 5,700 serious injuries and around 650 fatalities following road accidents in Switzerland over the last ten years, as reported by the BFU.
This demonstrates the effectiveness of mandatory road safety measures. Further improvements in road safety could be achieved with technical measures, such as in-vehicle warnings.
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The latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office also confirm the effectiveness of seat belts. Of the people killed in passenger car accidents in 2023, 6.6% were not wearing a seat belt. Among those not wearing a seat belt, 20.3% were seriously injured, and 73% were slightly injured.
In contrast, the proportion of fatalities who were wearing a seat belt was only 0.5%. Only 8% of those wearing a seat belt were seriously injured, while over 91% were only slightly injured.
Fierce resistance to introduction
The compulsory seat belt system was introduced in Switzerland later than in other countries, often facing fierce resistance. It was introduced in July 1981 after an extremely close referendum, initially only applying to the front seats. Rear-seat passengers have been required to wear seat belts since 1994.
In the vote on the seat belt requirement on 30 November 1980, the result was a narrow “yes” with 51.6%.
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A significant divide emerged between the German-speaking and Latin cantons: Zurich and Basel City approved the bill with over 70%, while it was overwhelmingly rejected in all French-speaking cantons and in Ticino. Opponents criticised the regulation as paternalistic and a deprivation of freedom. Almost 73% of voters in Vaud, 82% in Geneva, over 85% in Jura, and over 86% in Valais voted against the measure.
Opposition had been active before: in 1976, when the Federal Council first sought to make seat belts compulsory, a seat belt opponent from Valais took his case to the Federal Supreme Court, which overturned the Federal Council’s decision in September 1977.
Adapted from German by DeepL/amva
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