The next stop is 200 metres down the road. You jump in, start the van, drive 15 seconds, and park again. You didn't put your seatbelt on. It felt pointless for such a short drive. Now multiply that by 130 stops and you've spent most of your day driving without a seatbelt. It's the most common safety violation in courier work — and potentially the most deadly.
The Reality of Short-Distance Crashes
Most car accidents happen within 8 kilometres of the driver's starting point, and the majority occur at speeds under 60km/h. Suburban streets — the exact environment you deliver in — are where crashes happen most frequently. Someone runs a stop sign, a car reverses out of a driveway into your path, a kid chases a ball into the road. At 50km/h, an unbelted driver hits the steering wheel, windscreen, or dashboard with the same force as falling from a three-storey building.
According to Queensland Government seatbelt laws, wearing a seatbelt is compulsory for all vehicle occupants at all times the vehicle is in motion. There is no exemption for delivery drivers, short distances, or low speeds. The fine for not wearing a seatbelt in Queensland is $1,078 and 4 demerit points.
That's one of the heaviest traffic fines you can receive — and at 4 demerit points, it's a third of your total allowance wiped out in a single infraction.
Insurance and Liability
If you're in an accident and you're not wearing your seatbelt, the consequences cascade. Your injuries are likely more severe. Your insurance company may reduce your payout because you failed to take a basic safety precaution. Your workers' compensation claim may be affected. If you're a contractor, your personal injury claim can be significantly reduced if contributory negligence (not wearing a seatbelt) is established.
If you injure someone else in a crash and weren't belted, the legal consequences are amplified. Courts view seatbelt non-compliance as an aggravating factor — it suggests disregard for safety that extends beyond just your own wellbeing.
Breaking the Habit
Make it automatic. Every time your backside hits the seat, your hand goes to the belt. No exceptions, no matter how short the drive. Do it for two weeks and it becomes muscle memory — you'll feel wrong without it.
Seatbelt alarm. Most modern vans have increasingly aggressive seatbelt warnings. Don't disable them. Let the chime annoy you into compliance — that's exactly what it's designed for.
Think about your family. You're the breadwinner, the parent, the partner. An unbelted crash at 50km/h can be fatal. Your family doesn't care that the next stop was only 200 metres away — they care that you come home.