People who do not wear their seat belts in cars are exposed to severe trauma. The number of such accidents has actually increased in Quebec.
Last year, there were 137 serious recorded injuries due to unfastened seatbelts compared to 109 in 2004-2005.
The Journal de Montréal newspaper reports 36% of all accidents admitted to the Montreal General Hospital in 2009 were people who were not wearing a seatbelt. The rate was 18% in 2008.
The most common trauma remains falling, especially among the elderly. At the Montreal General Hospital alone, they represented 53% of all injuries last year, and constituted 42% of all cases at Montreal’s Sacred Heart Hospital.
There is encouraging news too. Accident victims are now more likely to survive after their accident, due in part to advances in medicine. There is a 96% survival rate at the Montreal General Hospital and a 92% survival rate at Sacred Heart.