- It lets the drive know via a dashboard mounted alert unit if the backseat passengers are unbuckled.
- It reduces driver distraction by eliminating the need for drivers to turn around taking their eyes off the road to check seatbelts are buckled.
Australian world-first may help save children’s lives:
With one-in-five children killed in car accidents not wearing a seat belt, a new Australian invention could help save lives.
Date: March 14 2015
Utilising ground-breaking wireless technology, buckle me up reduces the risk of serious injury or death of children, as a result of unbuckled seatbelts in the backseat of cars.
According to data from the Office of Road Safety in Western Australia, drivers and passengers travelling unrestrained in a car are at least ten times more likely to be killed in a road crash than those wearing a seatbelt. In NSW from 2013-2014, there was a 45%increase in fatalities in those not wearing a seatbelt.
But Australian legislation requires all new cars to have seatbelt warning devices in the front, they don’t in the back where small children are more likely to be passengers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that nearly 90% of the thirteen million passenger cars in Australia don’t have rear seatbelt warning.
Buckle me up is a simple, effective, retrofit wireless seatbelt reminder and alert safety system for the back seats in passenger cars. The advantage of the patented safety system is two-fold:
“Unrestrained children in the car coupled with driver distraction can have devastating consequences. For more than 25 years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact road crashes have on families,” said Associate Professor Leanne Raven, CEO of SIDS and Kids.
“buckle me up is a simple concept that will provide a huge benefit to families, particularly those whom often have a number of young children in the backseat,” said Associate Professor Raven.
The new buckle me up™ system was inspired by a wireless seatbelt concept developed several years ago of the same name. Today’s buckle me up product is entirely different and uses cutting-edge design and technology to create a product that has been globally patented around the globe as the first-of-its-kind.
Sydney-based firefighter, Gregory Pace said: “Having been in rescue for over 18 years, I’ve seen first hand some pretty horrific incidents where children have been severely injured or killed due to having unbuckled during the trip. What’s worse is the parents driving are completely unaware they’ve done so, but live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.
“It seems simple but it’s so critical for kids to be buckled up at all times. Any product that can save kids’ lives simply by adhering it to a rear seatbelt buckle and the dashboard is invaluable,” said Mr Pace.
The tag is similar to an e-tag and is simple for parents to install. It is also Australian designed, engineered, manufactured, owned and has undergone rigorous performance, functionality, usability and Factory Acceptance Testing and is compliant and accredited to the highest relevant Australian quality standards.
Buckle me up is available for $189 at bucklemeup.com.