Most drivers who die in accidents had not belted up for their journey

According to the latest figures, two thirds of motorists who die after a road collision were not wearing seat belts at the time.

In July, the country introduced a national “holistic seat belt law”.

And Abu Dhabi Police fined also 39,956 motorists between January and September for seat-belt offences.

Not wearing a seat belt while driving will incur a Dh400 fine for the driver, and the same should any passenger fail to fasten their seat belt.

Under the amended road traffic law, failure to fix child seats for children under four years old while they are travelling in the vehicle will also lead to a Dh400 fine.

Drivers face a Dh800 fine and four black points for using a phone at the wheel or being distracted, and a Dh400 fine for allowing children under 10, or shorter than 145cm, in the front seat.

Road Safety UAE research has found 34 per cent of motorists with children do not use proper safety seats or booster cushions. Of those questioned, 29 per cent blamed expense, while 28 per cent said their children did not like being strapped in. A quarter of those surveyed said they were confused about which safety seat to buy and 15 per cent said they were safe drivers so did not need to use seat belts.

“Motorists should know better by now, there is just absolutely no excuse: everybody in the vehicle has to wear a seat belt, at all times,” said Thomas Edelmann, the managing director of Road Safety UAE.