KUALA LUMPUR: Of the 6,282 road accidents last year, more than 2,200 rear-seat passengers would not have died or sustained injuries if they had worn seat belts.

Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh said 360 fatalities last year were the result of rear-seat passengers not buckling up, while 700 more people suffered serious injury because of the same reason.

"We take it seriously if people have not buckled up in all seats in the vehicles," he said before launching a road safety campaign together with Toyota Motors at the Sungei Besi toll plaza here yesterday.

The rear-seat-belt ruling will be enforced from Jan 1. From Dec 16, the police and the Road Transport Department will carry out an exercise to educate and remind drivers and passengers of the ruling.

Mock summonses would also be issued during this exercise.

Suret and UMW executive director (strategic marketing group) Aminar Rashid Salleh later presented motorists at the toll plaza with Toyota's road safety seat headrest bands, which carry a message for rear-seat passengers to buckle up.