Shocking new figures from The AA Charitable Trust* show that more than one in seven drivers regularly see other road users not wearing their seatbelt on motorways.
Some 15% of respondents reported seeing another driver not wearing a seatbelt, whilst 14% reported observing passengers unbelted travelling on motorways, the fastest moving roads in the country.
These findings highlight the ongoing concerns from The AA Trust regarding seatbelt non-compliance, despite the well-documented safety benefits. Sadly, too many drivers and passengers are underestimating the importance of wearing seatbelts, which can prevent injuries and save lives. Seatbelts are proven to reduce the risk of death in a crash by around 50%, making their use a critical component of road safety.
This new data comes a month after The AA Charitable Trust launched a new campaign on seatbelt awareness which also found one third (29%) of young drivers (17-29) who die in car crashes on all roads are not belted. Of these, 95% of these are male.
Government statistics** further emphasise the severity of the issue whereby, around a quarter of all car occupants who were killed were not wearing seatbelts in 2023. Furthermore, Department for Transport data shows the rate of seatbelt non-wearing fatalities on all road types for car occupants is highest for rear seat passengers (40%). Weekends also show the highest rates of non-seatbelt wearing among car fatalities (28% Saturday; 30% Sunday).
The AA Charitable Trust is calling for stronger penalties for not wearing a seatbelt, alongside a comprehensive road safety strategy that includes increased police patrols and public education campaigns to address this issue.
Edmund King, Director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “These figures are of huge concern, and action is needed to help raise the importance of wearing a seatbelt. The fact that one in seven drivers are regularly spotting other drivers and passengers not belting up on the motorway is shuddering and only highlights the desperate need to strengthen and enforce seatbelt laws.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility, and wearing a seat belt is a crucial step in protecting yourself and others on the road. It is worrying that a 3-second task is being avoided by a growing number of car users. Many things should be second nature, yet for some reason, not wearing a seatbelt is becoming an unwelcome trend. As well as better enforcement, we need to give courage to people to call out their mates when they get in their car and refuse to belt up.”
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