Belgian drivers and passengers wear their safety belts more than ever before: 95 percent buckle up in the front and 86 percent in the back. Only van drivers score remarkably lower. And that needs to change, according to Vias institute, which carried out the research.

Vias' latest behavioural survey yielded the best results so far. While 95% of drivers and passengers wear a safety belt in the front, 86% do the same in the back seat - even though this is not compulsory.

The striking behavioural change is the merit of prevention campaigns and detectors. They sound an audible signal when the front belts are not properly buckled.

Van drivers are going against the grain, not following the positive trend: only 85.5% of them wear a safety belt. That is why Vias institute calls on companies and employers to quickly implement a safety belt policy to ensure safe working conditions at all times. From now on, they will have to actively encourage van drivers to wear a safety belt - anytime, anywhere. This also minimises the number of serious accidents in the transport sector.

Wearing a safety belt reduces the risk of a severe road accident by 40 to 50%. Without this safety system, there is a chance of being thrown out of the car after a collision: at 50 km per hour, the body weight of an adult weighing 75 kg changes into a 2.5 tonne projectile.