SGI’s new robot promotes seatbelt safety

Saskatchewan drivers get hundreds of tickets a month for seatbelt offences.

SGI is now using a robot to try to fight the problem of children who aren’t properly restrained in vehicles.

BuckleBot was introduced Friday morning in front of a crowd of kids to teach them the importance of seatbelt safety.

Tyler McMurchy, SGI’s manager of media relations, said the robot was created as a unique way to appeal to children.

“There’s a little bit missing when it comes to reaching out to that really young demographic who doesn’t have their driver’s licence yet, but is in a car,” McMurchy said. “It’s a way of reaching an audience in a way that hopefully captivates them.”

McMurchy’s daughter, Mila, was able to check out BuckleBot for the first time.

“I learned that it’s very very important to buckle up and make sure that you’re in your car seat,” she said. “If you’re not, you could be in very big danger.”

Const. Michael Seel of the Regina Police Service said unbuckled children in Saskatchewan are certainly an issue.

“I’m noticing quite a bit of unsecured children on the roadway,” he said. “I’ve written 40 tickets this year for unsecured kids alone.”

The fine for an improperly restrained child is $175.

Seel added that he appreciates SGI’s new robot as a means to educate kids on seatbelt safety.

“We all know kids; anything that can engage them differently than just their parents telling them is always great,” Seel said. “Having another medium other than their parents saying, ‘You need to wear this seatbelt’ will probably help out a little bit more.”

BuckleBot cost $15,000 to create and was suggested by SGI’s Safety Squad to better educate children.

“Kids dig robots,” McMurchy said. “It was something that they paid attention to in a way that maybe kids don’t pay attention to a grown-up.”

Seven-year-old Declan Janz got to see BuckleBot firsthand and ask it some questions on seatbelt safety.

“He’s a really smart robot,” Janz said. “He can teach kids to buckle up.”

McMurchy said most drivers and passengers are knowledgeable when it comes to seatbelt safety but added that it is dangerous for those who aren’t.

“Most people do wear their seatbelts but the small number who don’t are over-represented when it comes to our fatality statistics,” he said. “We still see hundreds of (seatbelt) tickets every month and that’s just not acceptable.

“Doing up your seatbelt is the quickest, easiest, most-effective thing you can do to severely reduce your chance of being injured or killed in a collision.”

Added Seel: “I’m hoping that even if the parents forget, (the robot’s message) will get the child to remind the parent.”

BuckleBot will be appearing at a number of community events in the future such as Safety Squads, bike rodeos, car clinics and schools as well as clinics put on by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Drivers (SADD).

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a corrected version of the story, reflecting that most tickets are handed out for seatbelt offences.