People killed without a seat belt at record high

The proportion of car occupants killed while not wearing a seat belt has reached its highest level since records began, new figures have shown.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of people who died in crashes on Britain’s roads last year were unrestrained, according to Department for Transport (DFT) data.

Some 787 car occupants were killed in cars in 2017.

Since seat belt-wearing was included in annual accident records in 2013, the proportion of fatalities who were unrestrained has previously ranged from 19 per cent to 22 per cent, although the data is incomplete as not every police force holds the information.

A DFT spokesman said: “We have some of the safest roads in the world and we are always looking at ways of making them safer.

“The number of deaths where people were not wearing a seat belt is shocking.

“Up to one in four deaths in a car could have been prevented by simply plugging in before moving.”

Failure to wear a seat belt carries a minimum penalty of £100 and can be up to £500 if the case goes to court. The overall number of people killed on Britain’s roads in 2017 was 1,793.