Twenty years ago it became compulsory for people to wear seatbelts in the front of cars. The move is thought to have saved around 50,000 lives and prevented more than half a million serious casualties.
But almost half of adult passengers don’t belt up in back seats, even though it’s been mandatory since 1991. It is an offence not to wear a seatbelt and can result in a £30 fine, a written caution or a court prosecution.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said that while it’s second nature to wear a seat belt in the front of a car, even more lives could be saved if people used them in the back. Every year as many as 15 front seat drivers or passengers are killed by the impact of a rear seat passenger not wearing a belt.
"Passengers need to be responsible and think not only about the dangers to themselves but to front seat passengers and drivers as well," he said.
The latest surveys show that more than nine in ten adults wore seat belts in the front, but only 57 per cent wore them in the back. Women are more conscientious than men.
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