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I 'wouldn't have walked away': Rollover victim encourages seatbelt use

Jacob Michelin was recently driving his father on a secondary road toward Halifax Stanfield International Airport when an oncoming vehicle came into their lane.

Despite his best efforts to swerve away, Michelin clipped the vehicle and ended up rolling over and landing in a ditch.

Luckily, both occupants of the vehicle were able to escape with with minor injuries.

"If I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, I definitely wouldn't have walked away," said Michelin.

It's a sentiment shared by RCMP Cpl. David McLean. For eight years, he's worked in collision analysis and reconstruction services for the force.

He said the four main causes behind fatalities in vehicle crashes are speed, impaired driving, distracted driving and lack of seatbelt use.

So far this year, there have been 35 fatal collisions in areas policed by RCMP in Nova Scotia.

MacLean estimates that upwards of 30 per cent of the fatalities he's seen this year are the result of drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts.

He said an airbag alone won't provide the necessary support in a crash.

"Airbags will not keep you in your car; they will not keep you in your seat," said MacLean. "So during a violent rollover collision, if you go off the road and you're not buckled into your vehicle, you stand a very good chance of being ejected … which is often times not survivable," said MacLean.

He also recommends buckling up for the safety of other people in a vehicle because a person not wearing a seatbelt can become a projectile in a crash.

MacLean said he sometimes hears from people who don't wear seatbelts because they have a fear of being trapped in the event of a crash. He said in the 200 or so cases he's investigated, he's never seen that happen.

Michelin is happy he was wearing his seatbelt in his recent crash.

"Hanging upside down in a car that's kind of smoking and laying in a ditch, you kind of feel a little bit of relief that you're still aware and awake and know what's going on," he said.

Read more articles at CBC Nova Scotia