SERP issues seat belt reminder to Essex motorists

The Safer Essex Roads Partnership is urging drivers and passengers to buckle up and familiarise themselves with seat belt laws.

Statistics show that despite compliance rates of 98.6% among British car drivers, 27% of those killed in cars in 2017 were not wearing a seat belt – amounting to more than 200 deaths.

In Essex, 8,226 people were caught not wearing a seat belt during 2018 – all of whom were required to complete an online course.

Seat belts are designed to retain people in their seats during a crash. The belt is designed to limit the movement of the occupant, to mitigate the likelihood of serious or fatal injury

Under UK law, it became mandatory to wear seat belts in the front seats of vehicles in 1981. Legislation was extended to all seats in 1991.

Drivers are also responsible for children aged up to 14 years – and could be fined for each child passenger without a belt. Those over 14 years are responsible for their own actions – so a passenger caught not wearing a belt could also be hit with a fine.

The current fine if issued a Fixed Penalty Notice for not wearing a seat belt is £100, with a maximum penalty of £500 (if taken to court).

However, a new report published by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety last month is calling for harsher penalties for those caught not wearing a belt – including the introduction of three penalty points.

13 May 2019