Shocking new figures from The AA Charitable Trust* show that more
than one in seven drivers regularly see other road users not
wearing their seatbelt on motorways.
Some 15% of respondents reported seeing another driver not
wearing a seatbelt, whilst 14% reported observing passengers
unbelted travelling on motorways, the fastest moving roads in the
country.
These findings highlight the ongoing concerns from The AA Trust
regarding seatbelt non-compliance, despite the well-documented
safety benefits. Sadly, too many drivers and passengers are
underestimating the importance of wearing seatbelts, which can
prevent injuries and save lives. Seatbelts are proven to reduce
the risk of death in a crash by around 50%, making their use a
critical component of road safety.
This new data comes a month after The AA Charitable
Trust launched a new campaign on seatbelt awareness which
also found one third (29%) of young drivers (17-29) who die in
car crashes on all roads are not belted. Of these, 95% of these
are male.
Government statistics** further emphasise the severity of the
issue whereby, around a quarter
of all car occupants who were killed were not wearing seatbelts
in 2023. Furthermore, Department for Transport data shows the
rate of seatbelt non-wearing fatalities on all road types for car
occupants is highest for rear seat passengers (40%). Weekends
also show the highest rates of non-seatbelt wearing among car
fatalities (28% Saturday; 30% Sunday).
The AA Charitable Trust is calling for stronger penalties for not
wearing a seatbelt, alongside a comprehensive road safety
strategy that includes increased police patrols and public
education campaigns to address this issue.
Edmund King, Director of the AA Charitable
Trust, said: “These figures are of huge concern, and
action is needed to help raise the importance of wearing a
seatbelt. The fact that one in seven drivers are regularly
spotting other drivers and passengers not belting up on the
motorway is shuddering and only highlights the desperate need to
strengthen and enforce seatbelt laws.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility, and wearing a seat belt
is a crucial step in protecting yourself and others on the road.
It is worrying that a 3-second task is being avoided by a growing
number of car users. Many things should be second nature, yet for
some reason, not wearing a seatbelt is becoming an unwelcome
trend. As well as better enforcement, we need to give courage to
people to call out their mates when they get in their car and
refuse to belt up.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
* Yonder received 14,074 responses from AA members to its online
poll between the 14th to the 21stJanuary
2025. Yonder is a member of the British Polling Council and
abides by its rules.
** Seatbelt wearing rates:
England 2023 - GOV.UK Table RAS0711
