Taxi drivers rally against seatbelt laws - Sydney Morning Herald

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An estimated 500 taxis drove from Sydney Airport to the city on Monday morning to protest against a new law requiring drivers to wear seatbelts.

The drivers claim the law, which takes effect on Monday, leaves them more vulnerable to being attacked by passengers.

The president of the NSW Taxi Drivers Association, Anne Turner, said it was sad that the drivers' message had to be heard through the media instead of in numerous attempts to talk to the government about the laws.

"They're not listening to our voice. We want our drivers to escape freely if and when they are attacked by passengers," Ms Turner said.

"The only way we can get them to listen is by doing a convoy to stand up for our drivers' safety," she said.

NSW taxi drivers had been exempt from compulsory seatbelt laws for 41 years. But they are now required to "clip their trip".

But some drivers feel this would not enhance their safety.

Gabbie Shahrouk, a 45-year-old Sydney taxi driver from the western suburbs, has been driving for two years and has been attacked three times in 18 months.

With a wife and five children, his safety means having the money to provide for his family. He feels distressed and anxious about wearing a seatbelt.

"I'm afraid for my safety, I want to be able to escape if there's an attempt of theft, or if I'm in danger, like being attacked by a customer, or strangled by the belt," Mr Shahrouk said.

In the 2012/2013 festive season, more than seven assaults on taxi drivers had been recorded while no accident had been reported in the same time period.

A Transport for NSW spokesman said the law was to increase driver safety. In an email, the spokesman said: "Taxi drivers are over-represented in statistics of road users injured and killed as a result of not wearing a seatbelt.

"Between 2000 and 2010, more than 40 per cent of taxi drivers injured in a crash were not wearing a seatbelt, compared to less than two per cent of all other injured drivers during the same period," the spokesman said.

"In discussions with other states where taxi drivers already have to wear seatbelts, they have not identified any concerns about seatbelt use increasing assault risk. Consultation with NSW taxi drivers showed that many taxi drivers have strategies for dealing with assault risk; however, not wearing a seatbelt is not mentioned as a key strategy. Rather, drivers consider measures such as in-vehicle cameras and prepay fares to be more effective.

"Wearing a seatbelt doubles a driver's chance of survival and reduces risk of injury in case of an accident."