Rear seat belts save lives: a 30-year Swiss milestone

For 30 years now, seat belts have been compulsory in the rear seats of cars in Switzerland. Current data from the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) and the Federal Statistical Office confirm the effectiveness of this road safety measure. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Despite increasing traffic, the number of people killed and seriously injured on Swiss roads has fallen sharply in recent decades. According to the Federal Roads Office, there were a total of 18,254 accidents with personal injury on Swiss roads in 2023. There were 236 fatalities, 4,096 serious injuries, and 17,404 minor injuries. Of the fatalities, 22 were passengers. In 1994, before the introduction of compulsory rear seat belts, 637 people died in 23,527 accidents, with 5,923 serious injuries and 16,967 minor injuries. At that time, 106 of the fatalities were passengers. +The hazards of driving on Swiss roads in the 1960s Wearing a seat belt: now standard practice According to ...