Seatbelt Neglect Continues to Cost Lives on Roads

Despite years of safety campaigns and legal enforcement, seatbelt neglect remains one of the most common and deadly driving behaviours on Nigerian roads, according to road safety officials and transport experts.

Also Read: The Evolution of Car Safety: From Seatbelts to Self-Driving Tech

Across highways, urban centres, and inter-state routes, investigators consistently find that many victims of fatal crashes were either not wearing seatbelts or were wearing them incorrectly, significantly increasing the likelihood of death or severe injury.

What Seatbelts Really Do

Safety experts explain that seatbelts are designed to:

• Prevent occupants from being thrown out of vehicles
• Reduce impact force on the chest and head
• Keep drivers positioned to maintain some control
• Protect against secondary collisions inside vehicles

In crashes at moderate to high speeds, unrestrained occupants often collide violently with dashboards, windscreens, doors, or are ejected onto the road.

Many motorists cite discomfort, short travel distance, or low speed as reasons for skipping seatbelts. However, medical and safety professionals stress that:

• Most fatal crashes occur within minutes of a journey
• City crashes at “low speed” still produce deadly forces
• Ejection from vehicles dramatically increases death risk

FRSC officers report that a large number of victims believed they were “not going far” before tragedy struck.

RoadKing.ng crash reviews show that vehicles involved in rollovers, head-on collisions, and high-speed impacts frequently record:

• Multiple occupants thrown out of the vehicle
• Severe head and spinal injuries
• Preventable deaths that seatbelts could have reduced

In commercial buses, some passengers deliberately remove seatbelts, while some drivers fail to enforce their use.

Under Nigerian traffic regulations, seatbelt use is mandatory for drivers and front-seat passengers, and increasingly enforced for all occupants. Failure to comply attracts penalties and possible prosecution.

The FRSC continues to conduct routine seatbelt enforcement and awareness campaigns nationwide.

What Drivers and Passengers Must Do

Safety experts advise:

• Every occupant should buckle up before movement
• Drivers must not move vehicles until passengers are restrained
• Parents should ensure children use appropriate restraints
• Commercial operators should enforce zero-tolerance policies

Conclusion

Seatbelts are not accessories, they are survival tools. The continued loss of life from seatbelt neglect highlights a dangerous culture of complacency. On Nigerian roads, buckling up remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to stay alive.