The concerning trend involved in almost a quarter of Victorian road deaths last year

Almost one-in-four people killed on Victorian roads last year was not wearing a seatbelt, concerning new data has revealed.

In 2021, 35 people died while not buckled up, well above the five-year average of 25.

Head of Road Safety at TAC, Samantha Cockfield, says it’s “really difficult to understand” the trend.

“We know Victorians support the law, they understand the law and understand how important and lifesaving the seatbelt is,” she told Stephen Quartermain and Emily Power, filling in for Ross and Russel.

Ms Cockfield says road deaths where victims aren’t wearing a seatbelt are more common in rural and regional areas than in metropolitan areas.

“If you think about country Victoria, where we’ve got the farm gate 200 metres down the driveway or something, we think we’ll leave it off until we get to the farm gate so we can open and shut it and it becomes a bit more habitual to not have the seatbelt on,” she said.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the frightening statistic