One of the most basic things everyone can do to increase their safety when on the roads is to wear a seatbelt. Something we’ve all done so many times, it’s become second nature and we hardly think about it. But that small, simple task at the start of every journey can make a big difference.

According to the Department of Transport (DfT), shortly after the law came into force in 1983, 90% of car drivers and front seat passengers were observed to be wearing seat belts. A high level of compliance, which we continue to see, over 30 years later in 2020.

According to RoSPA, since it became mandatory to wear a belt in the front seats, seat belts are estimated to have saved tens of thousands of lives in the UK.

Car manufacturers have had to install seatbelts since 1965 but the law requiring drivers and front seat passengers to wear them did not come in to force until the 31st January, 1983. The law changed again in 1989, making it a legal requirement for children travelling in the back of cars to wear seat belts; before a further change to the law in 1991 making it a legal requirement for adults to wear seatbelts in the back of cars.

So, at the start of every journey, no matter how short or familiar that journey is, always belt up and make sure all your passengers are also belted up and do the little things that can make a big difference to your own safety and the safety of others who share the roads with you.