A new report by Direct Line and The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) calls for the introduction of three penalty points for not wearing a seat belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Northern Ireland failing to wear a seat\nbelt carries three penalty points, unlike England, Scotland and Wales. Direct\nLine research reveals that 72 percent of the British public support the\nintroduction of penalty points for those found not to be wearing a seatbelt\nwhen driving. Of those calling for the introduction of penalty points, 58\npercent of the public believe three points would be an appropriate punishment\nwhile 30 percent believe the penalty for breaking the law should be six points,\nthe same as for using a handheld mobile phone when driving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current penalty for a driver issued a\nFixed Penalty Notice for not wearing a seat belt is \u00a3100, with a maximum\npenalty of \u00a3500 if taken to court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the vast majority of drivers and\npassengers wear a seat belt, the failure of a minority to consistently wear a\nseat belt is associated with a disproportionately high number of serious\ninjuries and deaths with over 1,200 casualties in 2017. Of those who died in\ncars on the roads in 2017, 27 percent were not wearing a seat belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt has been a shock to find that more than\none in four people killed in a car were not wearing a seat belt,\u201d said David\nDavies, Executive Director, PACTS. \u201cIn the event of a collision, wearing a seat\nbelt is the single most effective thing that a driver or passenger can do to\navoid serious injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur report shows the road safety community\nhas taken its eye off the ball. It points to ways to increase wearing among the\nminority who forget or choose not to do so. In particular, PACTS recommends\nmaking it an endorsable offence, with three penalty points. This would have no\nimpact on most drivers or passengers but could substantially reduce the number\nof people killed or seriously injured each year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n