Not wearing a seatbelt is the leading factor in the majority of fatal motor vehicle crashes recorded so far this year across Essex County, according to police. Essex County OPP have recorded five fatal motor vehicle collisions as of the end of August, with not wearing a seatbelt listed as a primary factor in three of the cases. Speeding was listed as a factor in one case, while speeding and distracted driving were listed in another. Essex County OPP Insp. Jamie Smith says seatbelt laws have been around for decades, but officers continue to see people choose not to buckle up. “Usually speed is a factor, impaired driving is a factor, or distracted driving, but as you’ve indicated, we’re seeing seatbelts, and it’s something that has been in effect for a number of years and shouldn’t be happening,” Smith said. Smith said his own experience attending fatal crashes has reinforced the importance of wearing a seatbelt. “That it was preventable,” he said. “I’ve been, throughout my career, to fatalities where one person has survived and another didn’t because they weren’t wearing their seatbelt. The restraint is there for a purpose, and unfortunately, they succumbed to their injuries as a result of being pitched from a vehicle.” Former OPP commissioner and current CTV News Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis said his views on seatbelt laws have also changed over the course of his policing career. “When I was a young person, the seatbelt law came in. I thought, well, it’s my decision. If I want to get killed in the fiery crash, then that’s my problem. Nobody else’s,” Lewis said. “But then, over the many years that followed as a police officer, my opinion absolutely changed.” Lewis said he came to see seatbelt use as an issue that extends beyond an individual’s personal decision. “We have a publicly funded healthcare system and people getting hurt in collisions that may well not have been hurt at all if they were wearing a seatbelt has an impact on the healthcare system,” he said. Emergency responders, insurance companies, and families can also be affected when someone suffers serious injuries or dies in a collision, Lewis said. The fatal crash figures come as Essex County OPP report a significant increase in seatbelt infractions compared with last year. In August, OPP officers across Essex County laid 28 seatbelt charges, a 64.7 per cent increase over the 17 laid in August 2025. Between Jan. 1 and the end of August, officers laid 186 seatbelt charges, a 67.6 per cent increase compared with the 111 laid during the same period in 2025. Smith says officers continue to enforce seatbelt laws because the restraint can help prevent serious injury or death. He compares wearing a seatbelt to the safety bar on a roller-coaster. “I don’t feel comfortable when I get in my vehicle if my seatbelt is not on,” Smith said. “Also, you’ve got the chimes that come in that will indicate you need to put your seatbelt on. There are a lot of factors in there that people should be wearing them.” Windsor resident Cecile Sheff said wearing a seatbelt has become second nature for her. “People be so stupid. I mean, I was a teenager when seatbelts were made mandatory. I never get in the car without putting mine on,” she said. “I don’t get it. I mean, it’s hard enough to not get in an accident on the roads but securing yourself into that car so that you don’t go flying out, that’s just a no brainer.” Windsor resident John Davis said he believes stronger penalties could help encourage people to buckle up. “Maybe we should bring up the fines up a little higher than. And suspend your driver’s licence if caught,” Davis said. “Because seatbelts do save lives.” Lewis said drivers who believe they do not need a seatbelt should consider the potential consequences of being seriously injured in a crash. “If you think you don’t need a seatbelt, just think about the broader impacts,” he said. “You may be really paralyzed for life. You may lose a limb. There may be a huge impact on you, and then a huge impact on everybody else, including your loved ones.” The fine for not wearing a seatbelt in Ontario ranges from $200 to $1,000 and two demerit points if convicted. - With files from Rusty Thomson/AM800 News
