No seatbelt is still a big killer on the roads

One-third of road fatalities in Britain – and more than 15 per cent of road deaths in Australia – are linked to vehicle occupants not wearing a seatbelt, as authorities remain frustrated by the number of people who still need a reminder.

Not buckling a seatbelt was a factor in 30 per cent of UK road fatalities in 2021, according to official government figures.

For people aged 19 to 27, the figure was 40 per cent.

The numbers were far worse for people driving at night, where failing to use a seatbelt was a factor in 47 per cent of deaths.

There is also a gender split to the statistics, as the Department for Transport said 34 per cent of men killed in car crashes weren’t wearing a seatbelt, compared with 20 per cent of women. 

The latest figures from the Department, as reported by Autocar magazine, cover 2021 and show 1558 people were killed in crashes in Britain – up seven per cent from 2020 when 1460 people died despite Covid-related restrictions on travel.

The total number of road casualties of all types in the UK was 128,209 in 2021.

“This is a dreadful jump in road deaths where wearing a seatbelt may well have been the difference between surviving or dying in a road crash,” said Jack Cousens, the head of roads policy at the AA (formerly the Automobile Association).

“Release from pandemic lockdowns may have fuelled some of the surge, but the rate of death while not wearing a seatbelt was surging even before Covid.

“There may need to be a road safety campaign to raise the danger once again. Clearly the message is being forgotten.”

Though not as high as the UK lack of seatbelt use, Australia also has a disturbingly high number of road deaths related to occupants not wearing a seatbelt.

The most recent national data shows about 15 per cent of vehicle occupants killed on Australian roads annually are not wearing a seatbelt.

While seatbelt-related deaths are more prevalent with truck drivers – who can more easily avoid detection due to their high driving position – Australian authorities and first-responders remain concerned about the number of fatalities involving young children, teens, and novice drivers who were not wearing a seatbelt.

One veteran highway patrol officer, who recently attended a multiple fatality involving a car-load of unbelted occupants, told Drive: “No-one deserves to turn up to a scene like that. It’s heart-breaking. Please, people, wear a f—ing seatbelt and we all get to go home happy.”

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