A ROAD safety organisation is urging motorists in South Derbyshire to belt up before every trip on the 30th anniversary of the UK’s first seatbelt law.
Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety partnership is calling for people to wear their seatbelts after recent surveys have shown a drop in people belting up
Those between 17 and 34-years-old have the lowest seat belt wearing rates along with the highest accident rates.
Mike Ashworth, partnership chairman, said: “Over the years seatbelts have saved many lives and prevented many injuries.
“Research suggests that the majority of drivers and passengers now wear seat belts – but there’s evidence that some people are still put themselves and others at risk by sometimes leaving their belts off.
“Don’t be tempted to leave your belt off because you’re travelling a short distance on low speed roads – the effects of a crash on someone who is unrestrained can still be devastating in such circumstances.”
In a poll of 18,000 AA members, six per cent of respondents admitted to belting up only sometimes or most of the time.
He added: “Over the past 30 years, effective enforcement and hard-hitting public awareness campaigns have ensured that most drivers and passengers use their belts.
“However it’s still important to keep talking about the dangers - it’s easy for people to get into bad habits and new generations need to understand the risks.”
