Drivers should be handed penalty points if they are caught not wearing a seatbelt, suggests a new survey.
A new poll, conducted by Direct Line, says that seven out of 10 people back points being handed to motorists not wearing a seat belt.
Three points on a licence would be an appropriate punishment, according to 58 per cent of respondents, while 30 per cent believe six points – the same punishment for using a mobile behind the wheel – is suitable.
Just one in seven motorists believes that the current no penalty points system should remain in place.
Currently, drivers can be fined £100 if they are caught not wearing a seatbelt, which could rise to £500 if their case goes to court.
Introducing three points for not wearing a seat belt – which is already the case in Northern Ireland – could see some offenders losing their licence.
This is because motorists can be disqualified from driving if they build up 12 or more points within three years.
In England drivers that accrue six points or more in their first two years of driving can be instantly banned.
A survey commissioned by road safety charity Brake earlier this year indicated that nearly half (49 per cent) of young drivers had been in a car with someone not wearing a seat belt in the previous 12 months.
More than a quarter (27%) of the 787 car occupants who died in crashes on Britain’s roads in 2017 were not wearing a seat belt, according to the latest Department for Transport data.
This figure has actually risen seven per cent from the previous year.
Direct Line and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) called for a punishment of three penalty points to be introduced in Britain.
It also called for greater enforcement of the law including the use of more sophisticated cameras. Pacts executive director David Davies said it was “a shock” to see so many deaths occurring as a result of people not wearing a belt.
He commented that the road safety community has “taken its eye off the ball.”
Gus Park, managing director of motor insurance at Direct Line, described the introduction of mandatory seat belt wearing 36 years ago as “one of the most effective road safety measures in the history of motoring”.
He went on: “It may not prevent collisions, but it can and does prevent death and serious injury.”
AA president Edmund King said: “It is surprising that drivers haven’t learnt lessons from the most high-profile and tragic car crash case of all-time, where Princess Diana, Dodi Fayad and driver Henri Paul all died without wearing seat belts.
“Bigger fines and penalty points for not wearing seat belts should be introduced as soon as possible to persuade drivers of the importance of belting up.”
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