Seat belts not worn in a third of crash deaths
‘Most effective way to keep safe’
ALMOST a third of people killed in car crashes in Britain during one year were not wearing their seat belts. research has shown a sharp rise in the number of victims not wearing belts killed in road collisions, with 261 deaths recorded nationwide in 2018. The proportion of fatalities rose from a quarter in 2016 to 31 per cent two years later, according to a report from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety. Several organisations have called for the introduction of penalty points for those caught in a vehicle without a seat belt on. A spokesman for road safety charity Brake said: ‘It is a real tragedy that so many people continue to needlessly die on our roads when not belted up.’ They added: ‘Seat belts are proven to be the most effective way of keeping yourself safe in a crash and so we urge all drivers and passengers to always buckle up. We want to see penalty points introduced for non-seat belt wearing and greater investment in enforcement to make sure everyone gets the message that seat belts save lives.’
Britons already support the measure, with 72 per cent backing it in a survey conducted last year.
road laws say all passengers and drivers must wear a seat belt if it is fitted – with very few exceptions. however, the current penalty sees offenders pay only a £100 fine, which can often be halved if they promise to go on a course. Penalty points for not using a seat belt were introduced in 2007 in northern Ireland, which now has the second best wearing rate in the world, at 95 per cent.
The report shows it had the lowest proportion of deaths in the UK where a seat belt was not worn, 24 per cent, between 2016 and 2018.
The worst hit areas were Cleveland, in north-east england, where seat belts were not worn in 60 percent of fatalities, and north Wales, with 57 per cent. Meanwhile, more than a third of victims were beltless in Surrey, Leicestershire, Thames Valley, West Yorkshire, Derbyshire and the West Midlands.
The authors recommended the need for ‘enhanced enforcement through intelligence-led, targeted policing’ and increased use of camera technology, as well as campaigns to ‘reinforce the social norms of seat belt wearing’.
Official data suggested the number of deaths could have been halved if the victims had been wearing seat belts. rAC spokesman rod Dennis said: ‘While drivers appear supportive of the introduction of penalty points for those caught driving without a seat belt on, this raises a perennial problem – enforcement of the law.’
Last year the Government’s road safety statement said it takes the issue ‘extremely seriously’, and is considering imposing penalty points if vehicle drivers or passengers do not wear seal belts.
A spokesman from Westminster’s Department for Transport said: ‘Failure to wear a seat belt is illegal and dangerous, and can have devastating consequences.’
They added: ‘We are actively looking at ways through which we can ensure no one thinks twice about seat belt use.’