Drivers are being warned that they could be fined £500 if they flaunt a rule that one in seven people reportedly break regularly.
A study by the AA Charitable Trust found drivers regularly see other drivers and road users not wearing a seatbelt while driving on motorways. The findings highlight The AA Trust’s concerns regarding seatbelt non-compliance, despite the well-documented safety benefits.
Sadly, too many drivers and passengers are underestimating the importance of wearing seatbelts, which can prevent injuries and save lives. Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by around 50 per cent, meaning up to around one quarter of all young car passenger deaths could be avoided if all young passengers strapped their belts in.
Drivers can be fined up to £500 for not wearing their seatbelt when they are supposed to.
Edmund King, Director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “These figures are of huge concern, and action is needed to help raise the importance of wearing a seatbelt. The fact that one in seven drivers are regularly spotting other drivers and passengers not belting up on the motorway is shuddering and only highlights the desperate need to strengthen and enforce seatbelt laws.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility, and wearing a seat belt is a crucial step in protecting yourself and others on the road. It is worrying that a 3-second task is being avoided by a growing number of car users. Many things should be second nature, yet for some reason, not wearing a seatbelt is becoming an unwelcome trend. As well as better enforcement, we need to give courage to people to call out their mates when they get in their car and refuse to belt up.”
Young, male car passengers are more likely to die unbelted in a car crash than their female peers. The research, based on five years of car crash data where seatbelt wearing status was known, shows 68% of young passengers who die unbelted are male. These crashes are also more likely to happen at night, with 74% of young, unbelted, passenger fatalities happening in the night or evening.
New Department for Transport data shows the rate of seatbelt non-wearing fatalities for car occupants is highest for rear seat passengers. Weekends also show the highest rates of non-seatbelt wearing among car fatalities is 28% on a Saturday and 30% on a Sunday.
As drivers, young people are also needlessly dying due to not wearing their seatbelt. One third of young drivers who die in car crashes are not belted and a staggeringly 95% of these are male.
Overall, 32% of drivers who died unbelted were aged 17-29, despite this age group only accounting for around 14% of driving licences.