All they want for Christmas is you – buckle up to arrive safely

Queenslanders can give the best possible gift this Christmas to their friends and loved ones – themselves, with the message to buckle up and drive safely.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said a recent increase in crashes involving people not wearing seatbelts prompted the renewed call to action on seatbelts.

“Shockingly, on average, about one in four people killed in vehicles on Queensland roads aren’t wearing seatbelts,” Mr Bailey said.

“This trend increased for the first six months of this year to about 30 per cent.

“It's concerning that, decades after laws changed to make seatbelts mandatory, that people need reminding about the importance of wearing a seatbelt.

"The campaign, All They Want For Christmas Is You, will directly target those people.

“If you crash without a seatbelt, you’ll be far more likely to be killed than injured. Seatbelts improve the chances of surviving a crash by 200 per cent. 

“That chance you take will definitely affect other people – people you love and want to be there for, especially at Christmas."

The seatbelt safety campaign will run statewide on radio, billboards and social media until late December.

It is the first outcome from the Seatbelts: Let’s make it Click forum, held in Townsville in August as part of Queensland Road Safety Week.

Mr Bailey said a second phase of the seatbelts campaign would launch in February 2019 with a different key message.

“This campaign will be the first under the new 'StreetSmarts QLD' road safety banner, encouraging Queenslanders to use their Street Smarts to be a better road user when on or around the road,” he said.

“The Queensland Government's former road safety branding Join the Drive delivered a number of successful campaigns since launching in 2013 and grew a strong and active social media community around road safety issues in Queensland.

“Street Smarts will build on Join the Drive’s success with a real-time education program to help everyone including drivers, bike riders and pedestrians become better informed about using our roads safely.”