On January 31, 1983, a new law came into effect in Britain that significantly improved road safety and prevented thousands of deaths and injuries. For the first time, it became compulsory for drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts.
Before the law was passed, many people chose not to wear seat belts and when the law was first introduced, it was estimated that only 40% of drivers actually used them.
In 1983 after the law came into effect, According to the DfT 90% of car drivers and front-seat passengers were wearing seat belts. And when seatbelt wearing became compulsory for all rear-seat occupants in 1991, there was an immediate increase from 10% to 40% in observed seat belt wearing rates.
Research in 1998 showed 160 lives could be saved a year, this included 40 drivers or front-seat passengers killed by an unbelted passenger in the back.
The first cars with seat belts were produced much earlier, and the law requiring manufacturers to have them in cars was established in the 1960s. However, it took several more decades of debate and various attempts to pass the law before it became a legal requirement for people to actually wear them.
Initially, the law focused only on those sitting in the front of the vehicle, and in 1989, it became mandatory for children to wear seat belts in the back of cars, and finally, in 1991, wearing seat belts in the rear seat became compulsory for adults as well.
Forty years later, the results speak for themselves. Experts believe that since 1983, seat belts have saved tens of thousands of lives in the UK.
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.
Today, not wearing a seatbelt could result in an on-the-spot fine of £100. If prosecuted, the maximum fine is £500.
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