30 years of seatbelt safety
Posted: 6th February 2013
Posted in: Road Traffic Accidents
The Government has marked three decades of compulsory seatbelt use, as the law requiring all drivers to wear their seatbelts came in to force celebrated its 30th anniversary on 31st January 2013.
Car manufacturers have had to install seatbelts since 1965 but the law requiring drivers to wear them did not come in to force for another 18 years. In 1991 the law changed again making it a legal requirement for adults to wear seatbelts in the back of cars.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said:
“Thousands of lives have been saved and countless injuries prevented over the years because drivers and passengers were wearing seatbelts.
“The combination of effective enforcement and hard-hitting public awareness campaigns mean that, 30 years on, the vast majority of drivers and passengers buckle up when they get in their cars.
“But, unbelievably, there are still some people who do not use a seatbelt – my message to them is simple: a seatbelt could save your life and not wearing one is just not worth the risk.”
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