Seat belt plea follows shock crash data

More than 40% of car occupants who die in night time crashes on Britain’s roads are not wearing a seat belt, analysis of official data shows. The analysis has been published by Brake and AXA UK, as part of a new report. The report highlights concern for the ‘small but significant proportion’ of drivers who don’t wear a seat belt on every journey, ‘risking the safety of themselves, their passengers and other road users’.

A survey carried out by Brake and AXA UK shows that 96% of drivers say they always wear a seat belt. However, data shows that a quarter of car occupants who die in crashes are not wearing a seat belt – a figure which rises to 41% for crashes that occur at night (6pm-8am).

Brake and AXA UK are challenging the government to implement the EU General Safety Regulation which stipulates that seat belt reminders should be made mandatory for all seats in all vehicles – with 10% of drivers saying they occasionally forget to buckle up.

The report also includes a recommendation for a review of the ‘archaic’ law that exempts taxi drivers from wearing a seat belt.