Italians are refractory to the use of seat belts, especially as regards the rear seats, and this represents a serious danger for all occupants of the car, including those who - seated in front and regularly held by the seat belts - risk being 'overwhelmed. 'from those who are without it behind.
The alarm was raised by Unisca (national driving school association) which, through Manuel Picardi, member of the national secretariat and general secretary of EFA ((European driving school federation), explains that `` Italians to fasten their seat belts on the rear seats, They just don't want to know. It is singular that almost 30 years after the introduction of the obligation to wear seat belts for all vehicle occupants, motorists are still asking us since when this standard was also introduced behind ''. Picardi recalls that "the sense of protection that a passenger carried in the rear seats has is inversely proportional to the real risk to which the occupants of the front seats are exposed. In the event of a sudden slowdown, the forward movement of a human body does not properly fixed to the seats, it can have serious consequences also, and above all, for the occupants of the front row seats.
European Union has established that from 2025 all newly produced vehicles will be equipped with the reminder device (horn) in case of non-use of seat belts even on the rear seats ''.
Unfortunately, Italy is confirmed in the last places in Europe for the non-use of seat belts on the seats of vehicles up to 3.5 tons (cars and vans).
The latest statistics published by ETSC (Euroepan Transport Safety Council) are those of 2015, where in the comparison between the various countries, Italy is decidedly bad.
In front seats, seat belt use rates are highest in Germany, Sweden, UK and Estonia with 98% of passengers fastening their seat belts while on the move.
Front seat belt use rates remain at 61% in Croatia, 62% in Italy, 74% in Serbia, 82% in Latvia and 83% in Hungary.
The disparities between countries are even greater when it comes to wearing seat belts in the rear seats: from 98% in Germany and the Czech Republic to just 1% in Croatia.
Wearing a seat belt on the rear seats is still exceptional in Serbia (7%), very rare in Italy (15%) and rare in Lithuania (33%).
The greatest increase in the rate of use of rear seat belts in the last 5 years was recorded in Austria, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden. To highlight the seriousness of the situation and raise awareness, Unasca) and EFA (European federation of driving schools) in collaboration with the Greek NGO Road Safety Institute have produced the remake of a very strong video from the late 90s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnlDa75uJuA&feature=youtu.be) showing the consequences on the occupants of a vehicle, following the failure to use the seat belts on the rear seats.
(HANDLE)