Volvo launches #SafeDrive to spread awareness about safety belt

KUALA LUMPUR: Volvo Car Malaysia has launched the #SafeDrive road safety campaign in the country with an aim to aware more people about the importance of safety belts for all the passengers, including the driver. The #SafeDrive campaign also marks the three-point safety belt’s 60th anniversary. Remarkably, Volvo’s engineer, Nils Bohlin invented the three-point safety belt in 1959, which remains essential safety equipment to date. Statistics suggest that this great innovation saved the lives of more than a million people.

VCM’s MD, Nalin Jain said that the three-point safety belt is the reference point of all the automotive safety techniques. This means any preventive feature is not effective until the safety belt is on. Generally, the public has a misconception that the active safety systems, airbags, and crash structures are enough to make them safe, which is not right.

Nalin Jain further added, “Volvo is continually introducing many safety innovations, but it is high time that we get back to the basics – we will work closely with the Road Safety Department (JKJR) and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) to raise public awareness on the importance of using the three-point safety belt. I believe the increased use of safety belt by all car occupants, will help to reduce the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in the country.”

According to the data gathered in 2017, MIROS stated the fact that on an average, 16 road fatalities were recorded in the month of Syawal and Ramadan. The number is quite high and to keep a check on it, the car occupants including the rear passengers should have a clear idea that the child seats and safety belts can keep them safe.