Seatbelts warning renewed as death figures are revealed

People are being told to make sure they wear their seatbelts as statistics show four people were killed on Kent’s roads last year because they did not belt up.

Figures from Kent County Council show that four out of the 24 road deaths in Kent last year were caused by a passenger or driver not wearing a seatbelt.

Although the number has dropped, compared with the 2015 figure of 11 seatbelt-related deaths, KCC has repeated warnings for people to make sure they secure themselves before they set off.

To mark this year’s annual seatbelt safety campaign, KCC called in a team of children to help get the serious message across in a video posted online.

Asked “what would happen if you didn’t wear your seatbelt?” a child responds “nee naw, nee naw”.

KCC’s road safety team leader, Vicky Watkins, said: “Seatbelts have been compulsory for 34 years and we are really start- ing to see that wearing one has become an unquestioned behaviour.

“The fall in fatalities during 2016 is encouraging, but unfortunately, there are still instances where seatbelts are not worn. Fastening your seatbelt at the start of every journey is such a simple task, but the dangers of not doing so are as high as ever.

“These children have all been taught by a responsible adult to wear their seatbelt, and what is very clear is that they can’t fathom why people wouldn’t wear a seatbelt.

“While it is impossible to say whether the outcome of the crashes would have been different if they had been wearing seatbelts, the figures are a sharp reminder of how important it is to belt-up in the car.”

The latest figures also that, in 2016, 509 motorists were stopped for not belting up on Kent’s roads, compared with 546 in 2015.