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Civil Law (Wrongs) Act 2002
97Presumption of contributory negligence—injured person
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97 Presumption of contributory negligence—injured person
not wearing seatbelt etc
(1) Contributory negligence must be presumed if the injured person was
injured in a motor accident and was at least 16 years old at the time
of the accident and—
(a) was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident as required
under the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management)
Act 1999; or
(b) 1 of the following factors contributed to the accident or the
extent of the injury:
(i) the injured person was not wearing a helmet at the time of
the accident as required under the Road Transport (Safety
and Traffic Management) Act 1999;
(ii) the injured person was a passenger in or on a motor vehicle
with a passenger compartment but was not in the
compartment at the time of the accident.
(2) The presumption can be rebutted only as provided in subsections (3)
and (4).
(3) For subsection (1) (a), the presumption can be rebutted if the injured
person establishes, on the balance of probabilities, that—
(a) the injury suffered by the injured person was less serious than it
would have been if the injured person had been wearing a
seatbelt at the time of the accident; or
(b) the injured person was not capable of fastening a seatbelt
without assistance from someone else.
(4) For subsection (1) (b) (ii), the presumption can be rebutted if the
injured person establishes, on the balance of probabilities, that the
injured person could not reasonably be expected to have avoided the
risk.
(5) If the presumption is not rebutted, the damages the injured person