in car safety

teenagers in car
Texting in a car can endanger your life!

seatbelts

As a teenager, it is important that you take responsibility for your own safety when travelling in a car. From the age of 14 it is your responsibility to ensure that you are restrained – check out the law here Opens new Window.
In a crash at 30mph an unrestrained back seat passenger will be catapulted forward with the force of 30 to 60 times their own body weight. Teenagers are killed or seriously injured every year as a result of not wearing a seatbelt
Boy hits rear windscreen  By not wearing your seatbelt you endanger the lives of others  No seatbelt No excuse

Check out our seatbelt publicity campaign Opens new Window.
Seatbelt survey results may be found here.


some interesting facts about seatbelts

  • If all car occupants always wore their seatbelts more than 20 lives and over 250 serious injuries could be avoided each year
  • 1982 Seat belt wearing became mandatory for front seat drivers and passengers, resulting in thousands of lives being saved.
  • All new mini buses and coaches must have seat belts fitted.
  • All newly registered cars must be fitted with rear seatbelts or child restraints.
  • 1991 Seatbelt wearing became compulsory for rear seat adult passengers if they were fitted and available.
The law is summarised in this leaflet about seatbelts (1.1MB) PDF Document Opens new Window.