Seat belts

What is the penalty for not wearing a seat belt? A £60 fine.

Safety camera vans are now enforcing drivers who do not wear a seat belt, as well as drivers using a mobile phone and speeding motorists.

Camera operators trigger the laser camera when they see these offences being committed and they are recorded on the DVD system as evidence. The DVD then goes to the Central Ticket Office where staff send a request for driver information to the registered keeper of the vehicle.

Anyone exempt from wearing a seat belt will be able to state this on the request for driver information and, if relevant, send a copy of their exemption certificate.

Seat belt exemptions

Confusion about the law on seat belts remains, especially surrounding commercial vehicles. As of 2005, delivery drivers are only exempt from wearing a seat belt when conducting ‘local’ deliveries - travelling 50 metres or less between stops.

Taxi drivers carrying a fare and some medical conditions are also exempt from wearing seat belts.

For a list of seat belt exemptions, click on the following link: Seat belt exemptions

Seat belt facts*

In a crash someone not wearing a seat belt is more likely to die than someone using one. In 2007, of the 1,432 car occupants killed, research indicates that some 34 per cent were not wearing a seat belt.

While few people admit to regularly travelling without a seat belt, research shows that 24 per cent of people admit they sometimes do not wear a seat belt when travelling in the back, and 10 per cent in the front. There is also evidence that people are less likely to use seat belts on short or familiar journeys or at low speeds. This puts them at serious risk of injury in a crash.

Did you know? You are twice as likely to die in a crash if you do not wear a seat belt.

Nearly 300 lives would almost certainly have been saved in 2007 if all car occupants had been wearing a belt. Roughly, that is one life a day.

*Source: Department for Transport