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Today marks 40 years since it became law for drivers to
wear seatbelts
Drivers favour tougher penalties – but RAC warns this must go
hand-in-hand with greater enforcement
More than two-thirds of motorists (68%) believe drivers should be
responsible for ensuring all their passengers wear seatbelts,
according to new RAC research released to coincide with today’s
40-year seatbelt law anniversary.¹
Currently, drivers only have responsibility to make sure they and
any children in their vehicles are buckled up properly – with the
latter potentially needing to be in a child car seat or booster
seat depending on their age or height.² The RAC’s research
suggests this responsibility should be broadened to include all
passengers, with a third of respondents (33%) also believing that
drivers should be penalised in the event anyone they’re
travelling with is caught not wearing a seatbelt and putting
themselves at risk.
With today marking 40 years since it became mandatory for drivers
to wear seatbelts in vehicles that had them fitted,³ the RAC’s
research also found that a quarter of motorists (24%) believe the
current law – where a driver can be fined up to £500 for not
buckling up – is too lenient, with a clear majority of these
(69%) thinking that those who break the law should pay both a
fine and receive at least three points on their licences. This is
something that may come to pass as the Government stated last
Autumn it is considering the merits of introducing penalty points
for those driving without seatbelts.⁴
Four per cent of drivers – the equivalent of around 1.7m full
driving licence holders in Great Britain⁵ – admit to driving
without a seatbelt over the last 12 months, with around a fifth
of these (22%) saying they don’t belt up at least half the time.
In contrast, 7% of respondents admitted to not wearing a seatbelt
when travelling as passengers in other vehicles. The law states
there are only very few exceptions for not buckling up, including
when deemed medically exempt or when reversing a vehicle.⁶
When it comes to what drivers believe could improve compliance
with the existing law and help keep everyone safe, around half
(48%) would like to see those caught sent on dedicated ‘seatbelt
awareness courses’ – akin to the sort of courses attended by
those caught speeding – while more than a third (36%) favour
either more police on the roads or the use of camera-based
technology to catch people breaking the law in this way. In a trial of such cameras
last month, National Highways spotted hundreds of instances
where drivers were either not properly restrained or were talking
on handheld mobile phones.
RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “Forty years on
from the introduction of what is undeniably one the most
important road safety laws, it’s still the case that far too many
people don’t wear seatbelts – something that’s a factor in around
30% of all road deaths each year. It’s also sadly the case that
people are twice as likely to die in a crash if they’re not
wearing one.
“The statistics are stark, yet some people are still prepared to
take the risk and not wear a seatbelt. This obviously begs the
question what can be done next. Today’s anniversary, perhaps,
provides the ideal moment for the Government to show it’s serious
about improving safety on our roads and put an action plan in
place for getting more of us to buckle up in the first place.
“For most people, getting into a car and putting on a seatbelt is
second nature but it’s obvious more needs to be done to get those
who haven’t developed this habit to change their ways. Our
research shows drivers are clearly supportive of greater
penalties, which we know the Government is considering. But
arguably, toughening the law isn’t enough: drivers need to think
there’s a good chance of being caught in the first place. If they
don’t, there’s every chance they’ll carry on as normal – just as
we see day-in, day-out with plenty of drivers still prepared to
illegally use a handheld phone while behind the wheel.
“A national advertising campaign around the dangers of not
wearing a seatbelt could also bring about a positive change in
behaviour, and it’s something a quarter of drivers we surveyed
said would improve compliance with the law.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
¹ RAC research conducted among 1,800 drivers during January 2023
² www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law
³ www.gov.uk/government/news/thirty-years-of-seatbelt-safety.
This states: ‘Car manufacturers have had to install seatbelts
since 1965 but the law requiring drivers to wear them did not
come in to force for another 18 years. In 1991 the law changed
again making it a legal requirement for adults to wear seatbelts
in the back of cars.’
⁴ https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-10-24/69515
⁵ Based on there being 41.46m full-time driving licence holders
as of October 2022 (government dataset DRL0101)
⁶ www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/when-you-dont-need-to-wear-a-seat-belt
