Belt up or get fined – fixed penalty increased

The recent change in seat belt legislation has been welcomed by Dorset Police – who are advising motorists and passengers that they must wear their seat belts whenever they are in a moving vehicle.

On 30 June 2009, the fixed penalty for not wearing a seat belt increased from £30 to £60. If convicted in court the fine can be up to £500.

Chief Inspector Bob Nichols, said: “We welcome this increased financial penalty as this will hopefully dissuade motorists and passengers from failing to wear a seat belt.

“Even if you are only on a short journey you must wear your seat belt in any moving vehicle – and that advice is the same whether you are driving the vehicle or are a passenger.

“It’s extremely dangerous when passengers in rear seats do not wear seat belts because if a collision occurs, the impact can propel the passenger forward, potentially causing injury to whoever may be sitting in the front seats. This could even prove fatal.”

During Child Safety Week, which ran between 22 and 26 June 2009, traffic officers conducted roadside checks in Poole and Bournemouth in the vicinity of schools at the start and end of the school day They issued 34 fixed penalty tickets to drivers for not wearing their seat belt.

In three of these cases children were found not to be wearing their seat belt and the accompanying adults were issued with a fixed penalty ticket – drivers are liable to prosecution if a child under 14 years does not wear a seat belt or child restraint as required.

Research by Government organisation Think! Road Safety shows that you are twice as likely to die in a collision if you don't wear a seat belt and of the 1,432 car occupants killed in the UK in 2007, research indicates that some 34 per cent were not wearing a seat belt.