New postage stamp marks 50 years of seatbelts in Oz
Australia Post commemorates world-first road safety legislation with new ‘Buckle Up’ postage stamp.Get your tweezers ready stamp collectors!
Australia Post has just released a new stamp to commemorate 50 years since Australia became the first country in the world to mandate compulsory seatbelt wearing in the front and back seats of motor vehicles.
The first Australian state to make wearing a seatbelt compulsory was Victoria – on December 22, 1970 – ahead of New South Wales in October the following year and the remaining states and territories on January 1, 1972.
New Zealand followed suit in 1972, while the UK and the US took until 1983 and 1984 respectively to make seatbelts compulsory.
And despite the fact seatbelts have been proven to reduce the risk of fatality and serious injury in road accidents by around 50 per cent, some countries have taken decades longer to pass similar legislation.
A popular holiday destination, Thailand waited until 1996 to make seatbelts a must-wear, while Sri Lanka took up until 2011 and Myanmar until 2017.
Australia Post’s commemorative $1.10 postage stamp was designed by Nigel Buchanan and features a seatbelt on a yellow background, with the slogan ‘Buckle Up! 50 Years’ in red font.
Associated products including a sheetlet pack are also now available at participating Australia Post offices, online and over the phone.
Australia Post Group Manager Philatelic, Michael Zsolt, said the world-first achievement was more than worthy of being recognised as part of the company’s stamp program.
“We have thousands of Australia Post drivers and posties on the road every day right across the country, so road safety is something that is close to our heart,” said Zsolt.
“Even though it seems like an obvious road-safety measure, the path leading to legislation took years of research, campaigning and public education, and it has helped to protect Australian road users from fatality and serious injury for five decades.”
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