94 people who died on NZ roads last year would still be alive if they were wearing their seatbelt
In the past five years, more than 300 people who died in New Zealand crashes were not wearing their seat belt.
Most of those deaths were last year.
The Herald, in partnership with the New Zealand Police, has launched Belt Up - a four-day series about seatbelt safety aiming to raise awareness and improve safety for all Kiwis on our roads.
Police say many of the 93 people who died in crashes last year while not properly restrained could have survived had they been wearing a seatbelt.
Had the driver been wearing a seatbelt he may not have hit his head hard during the impact, he may have managed to escape the submerging vehicle.
He may still be alive today.
Te Iwiroa Smith, 44, died on January 11 last year in the Mataura River, 45km southeast of Invercargill.
Other factors contributed to the fatal crash - but had Smith had his seatbelt on, things could have been very different.
His widow Dianne Smith spoke to the Herald about her personal tragedy, hoping that others could learn from her husband's deadly mistake.
Smith and his brother ran the family farm at Curio Bay, but six months of the year he also worked on the night shift at a local meatworks.
He'd only been at the works a couple of days when he died.
Smith went for drinks with colleagues after their late shift ended.
He was dropping one of the men off on his way home when he was called back to the party.
He crashed en route.
"I believe he would still be here if he had his seatbelt on," Dianne Smith said.
"He didn't like to put his seatbelt on, he was a big man and I think it cut into his neck - he said it felt uncomfortable.
"There was a bit of a cheeky 'buck the system' or 'buck the rules' person inside him too - so he wouldn't have put his belt on that night, it would have been uncool."
She said given Smith had been drinking, and test results revealed that he'd used drugs, his judgment would have been impaired.
On top of that he had been recently diagnosed with diabetes and was not supposed to drink alcohol, and was taking painkillers for a bad back.
"It was a recipe for disaster," Dianne Smith said.
Crash victim Te Iwiroa Smith (centre) with his wife Dianne (left) and sister Heni Smith on his wedding day in 2010. Photo / Supplied
She said Smith never wore his belt out on the farm, and that translated to the open road.
Seatbelts weren't part of his childhood, so he didn't recognise the risk of not wearing one as an adult.
"He was an excellent driver, he was brilliant," his wife said.
"But he didn't like to put that seatbelt on - though I did make him when I was in the car with him."
Dianne Smith said her whole family was still suffering the loss of "Te".
'He was an amazing guy, everyone loved him," she said.
"He was charismatic, open, honest, friendly - a 'do anything for anyone' kind of person.
"He was a character, and his death has been a huge loss for us, and for the world actually."
Dianne Smith's message around seatbelts was simple.
"It's there to be put on, it doesn't hurt, so put it on," she said.
