New driving law plans could see Britons slapped with more licence points for not wearing a seatbelt
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GB NEWS
Road safety experts are calling on the Government to introduce new laws after research found that up to a quarter of young passenger deaths were "avoidable" if seatbelts had been worn.
A new campaign by the AA Charitable Trust is calling on young people to "belt up in the back" in response to devastating safety figures.
Data shows that 43 per cent of young passengers aged between 17 and 29 who are killed in car accidents are not wearing their seatbelts.
According to Rule 99 of the Highway Code, adults and children over the age of 14 are required to wear a seatbelt or child restraint where fitted in cars, vans and other goods vehicles.
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Up to a quarter of young passenger deaths are ‘avoidable’ if seatbelts are worn, according to new data
PA
Wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of death by around 50 per cent, meaning almost one-quarter of young passenger deaths could be avoided if they wore a seatbelt.
The AA Charitable Trust found that unbelted fatalities fall to 28 per cent of car passengers when analysed across all ages.
It stated that this highlighted the "disproportionate number" of young people killed when not wearing their seatbelt compared to other age groups.
Younger, male car passengers are more likely to be killed unbelted in a car accident, at a staggering 68 per cent. A further 74 per cent of deaths occur in the evening or night.
Edmund King, Director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: "Wearing a seatbelt is the single most effective way to protect yourself, and others in the car with you, from death and serious injury.
"It is an utter tragedy that young people are dying as passengers and drivers because they have failed to put their seatbelt on."
King noted that the data had influenced the AA Charitable Trust to launch the new campaign which aims to unite the road safety network, including driving schools, to hammer home the importance of wearing a seatbelt.
The rate of seatbelt non-wearing fatalities for car occupants is highest for rear-seat passengers at 40 per cent, with weekends also showing the highest rate of unbelted fatalities.
Shockingly, 14 per cent of people said they were less likely to wear a seatbelt on a short journey as a passenger while 24 per cent of young drivers said they had driven while their passengers did not wear a seatbelt.
The AA Charitable Trust is now calling for new drivers to be slapped with six penalty points on their licence if they are not wearing their seatbelts.
This would work alongside the AA's call for the introduction of Graduated Driving Licences, which would temporarily restrict young drivers to improve road safety.
AA data found that launching such a system for those who have recently passed their test could save 58 lives per year and avoid at least 924 serious injuries.
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Experts are calling for harsher punishments to be introduced in a bid to deter people from not wearing their seatbelts
PA
Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads Minister, put her support behind the AA Trust campaign and emphasised the importance of all car occupants wearing a seatbelt.
The Labour MP for Nottingham South added: "This stark data highlights a preventable tragedy. Far too many young lives are being cut short simply because seatbelts aren’t being worn.
"We’re committed to working alongside road safety organisations and through initiatives like our THINK! ‘CLICK’ campaign, which reminds young people of the life-saving importance of them and their friends belting up whatever the journey. A simple ‘CLICK’ can save lives."
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