Sixty youth were killed in car crashes in 2004 in British Columbia. Half of those young people could have been saved if they had been wearing a seat belt.

That is the message RCMP Const.

Bill Taylor from Cariboo Chilcotin Traffic Services is trying to emphasize in talks this week with the North District Roll Over Simulator.

Taylor said there are a number of myths about seat belts that are still believed in the Cariboo Chilcotin area.

Believing you can hold yourself back in crash simply contradicts physics.

At 50 kilometres per hour, a 150-pound adult has the force of a three and half-ton truck, Taylor said during the talk.

It is impossible to hold yourself back.

Many young people believe they are young and strong enough to survive a crash but in fact motor vehicle collisions are the number one killer of youth (ages 13 to 21).

Another common myth is that if you are just going a short distance at a slow speed, you don't need a seat belt.

But actually three out of four accidents occur within 40 km of home and people are traveling at speeds of 70 km/hour or less.

While many people believe wearing a seatbelt is a personal choice that doesn't affect anyone else, Taylor pointed out the person without a seatbelt can actually injure or kill other people in the event of a collision.

A powerful video clip demonstrated how the person becomes a dangerous flying object in the vehicle hitting other belted passengers.

People may believe an air bag is adequate protection. An air bag can help with impact but it only increases survival rate by five per cent while a seat belt increase survival rate by 50 per cent.

It is often thought that in a serious crash, it is better to be thrown clear of the vehicle.

But 75 per cent of people ejected are killed, Taylor said.

Along the same lines some people believe that a seatbelt will trap you in your vehicle.

Actually less than 0.1 per cent of crashes involve fire or water, Taylor said.

In addition, you have a better chance of survival if you belted in because you are more likely to be conscious.

Without a seatbelt your chances of hitting your head are greater and you may not wake up in time to save yourself.

The Roll Over Simulator will be at Cariboo Memorial Complex today at the Trucker's Appreciation Day at 12:30 p.m.

It was also part of Road Sense Awareness Day for Grade 10 students Wednesday.

Rollover simulator RCMP Cariboo Chilcotin Traffic Services Constables Bill Taylor (left) and Tom Erickson demonstrate the Roll Over Simulator at Signal Point on Tuesday afternoon. The child dummy is sent flying out the window because it was not belted in. The simulator is designed to demonstrate a vehicle roll over at speeds of about 50 km/hour.