GoSafe and Police urge people to wear seatbelts

GoSafe and Welsh police forces urge people to put their seatbelt on and stay safer on the road.

Between June 5^th and June 25^th, GoSafe and Welsh police forces will be highlighting the importance of seatbelts, with the aim of reducing the number of people killed and injured by not wearing them.

This year marks 40 years since it was made illegal to travel in the front of a car without wearing a seatbelt. Despite this, there are still people travelling on our roads without them. In the last 6 years, the amount of people killed in cars whilst not wearing a seatbelt has stayed consistently above 20%.

In 2020, 23% of people killed in cars were not wearing a seatbelt. Data shows that 28% of male fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt, which is almost double compared to 16% for woman.

It’s vital that you always wear a seatbelt, regardless of how short or familiar a journey is. You could be involved in a collision at any time of the day and taking a few seconds to fasten your seatbelt could save your life.

The police and GoSafe will be working closely with their partners to educate people on the importance of seatbelts, whilst encouraging them to change their behaviour and attitude towards wearing them.

Operations will be running to provide roadside education. Enforcement will also be carried out to target the minority who refuse to comply with seatbelt laws, putting themselves and others at risk.

You could receive a £100 on-the-spot fine if you don’t wear a seat belt when you’re supposed to, or a maximum £500 fine if prosecuted.