Seat belts focus next month

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 455, 29 September 1992, Page 2

Seat belts focus next month

• Its been a fairly routine past couple of weeks, with nothing much to really report. • A 22-year old local woman was arrested last week for theft, fraud and false pretences. She will appear in Taihape Court next week. • New signs will appear outside the Waiouru School on Ruapehu Road shortly, informing drivers that there are school children in the area, crossing roads and

going to school. These signs will be displayed between 8.30am to 9am and between 3pm and 3.30pm. Please be aware of these signs and the children when around during these times. • One of the

objectives of the police this month is enforcing the wearing of seat belts. Hence for two weeks in October there will be a campaign focusing not only on front seat passengers but also on persons in the back seats and especially concentrating on child restraints. Statistics clearly show that wearing seat belts saves lives and also saves thousands of injuries each year and minimises other injuries.

About 90 to 100 people die each year as a result of not being restrained by seat belts, or not wearing one correctly in an accident. We have all attended serious and fatal crashes, where in some cases, the wearing of a seat belt may have, or probably would have, resulted in a different outcome. Let's concentrate on buckling up this month and getting into the habit so it becomes automatic, even if only

travelling a short distance. Any driver stopped during this campaign without a seat belt during the hours of darkness, will also be automatically breath-tested. • An accident on the Desert Road on Sunday afternoon resulted in a Taihape man being flown to Waikato Hospital after being crushed between two buses. The accident occurred about 35kilometres north of Waiouru about 3.30pm. It appears that a bus travelling north became stuck in gravel on the side of the road and another bus travelling in the opposite direction attempted to pull it out. The injured man was hooking the two buses together, when one of the buses rolled back into the other bus, pinning him between them. He suffered moderate injuries and at the time of going to print, is believed to be discharged from hospital. • Time for me to have a break and take some leave, so Constable Peter Thomas will take over the typewriter keys to keep you informed about what's happening and what's not in your area. Until then, have a safe week.