Seat belt use research by Brake - RAC comment

Reacting to new research by Brake that shows that half of young drivers have been in a car with someone not wearing a seat belt, RAC road safety spokesperson Pete Williams said:

“Buckling up takes seconds and saves lives, and it is difficult to comprehend why a driver or passenger of any age would choose not to do this and put themselves at risk.

“Perhaps young drivers feel they are so cocooned in modern vehicles that boast a myriad of safety features that they don’t need to worry about the basics like using a seatbelt, and it might also explain why many people continue to believe they can safely multitask while driving, like using a handheld mobile phone.

“Younger drivers are disproportionately involved in accidents and these findings should perhaps be a prompt to the Government to try and understand on a deeper level why this is the case and what can be done the reduce collision rates among drivers of this age.”