That’s the finding of the latest research by Swiss Council for Injury Prevention (BFU).

The data shows that only 93% of drivers comply with the requirement to wear a seat belt, compared to 94% last year according to the survey. Meanwhile only 76% of rear seat passengers belt up, compared to 77% last year – which the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said is “inadequate, and rather surprising because the protective effect of the seatbelt is undisputed”.

The BFU also said that striking discrepancies in wearing rates can be observed when journeys are differentiated according to purpose. Just 82% of drivers and 74% of passengers transporting goods (excluding the Swiss Post Office) wear seatbelts, whereas passenger transport journeys report a 95% rate for both drivers and passengers.

The ETSC reiterated its call for advanced seat belt reminder systems to be installed in all car seats, a measure which could save 700 lives a year in Europe.