Rear seat belts

The subject of compulsory rear seat belts has elicited quite an indignant response from a couple of readers of this newspaper, who have written letters that are, at best, illogical.

These have included letters from a reader who wears a seat belt merely to avoid being fined, and from another reader who concludes that fatal accidents are more frequent since seat belts were introduced! One does not use a seat belt merely to avoid a fine - seat belts save lives. This also applies to rear seat belts, which protect both the rear passengers as well as the front occupants.

In the event of a frontal collision, rear seat belts prevent the rear passengers from flying forward and colliding with the driver or front passenger. A 2002 study in Tokyo has shown that in any type of collision, the risk of fatal or serious injuries to the front occupants may be doubled or even tripled if the rear passengers are unbelted. Slight inconvenience is a small price to pay for more safety for drivers and their passengers. Rear passengers are often children - in the event of a collision, would you prefer your children to remain safely strapped to their seats or to fly forward at the velocity of the car at time of impact?