Drivers face heavier fines for not wearing seat belt
DRIVERS and passengers who refuse to belt up now face a heavier fine.
Anyone caught not wearing a seat belt will now be hit with a £60 fixed penalty – double the previous £30.
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CLUNK-CLICK EVERY TRIP: The fine for not wearing a seat belt has been doubled.
Drivers will also be fined if they allow a child aged 13 or younger not to wear a seat belt.
But passengers aged 14 and over are legally responsible for themselves and will have to pay the new £60 fine.
Motorists with illegal number plates will also now be liable for the new £60 fine.
Between April 2008 and March this year, 2,863 people were issued with £30 fixed penalty tickets for not wearing a seat belt in Staffordshire. In Cheshire, 4,288 people were caught not wearing a seat belt last year, and 4,248 in 2007.
Les Dyble, Staffordshire Police's traffic management officer, said: "The increase in fines will certainly help stop people committing these offences, but people shouldn't be thinking about the fines. The reason they should be putting on their seat belts is to save their life."
But Peter Roberts, of the Driver's' Alliance, is sceptical that the fine will reduce the falling casualty rate on Staffordshire's roads further. He said: "If you are driving without a seat belt then you deserve to be fined.
"While I'm happy for the police to fine people for not wearing a seat belt, I don't think it should be financially rewarding for the police."
34 Comments
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by russ, burslem
Thursday, July 09 2009, 6:59PM
“if they banned women drivers off the road us men would not need to wear seatbelts ,, quite simple really”
by russ, burslem
Thursday, July 09 2009, 6:59PM
“if they banned women drivers off the roads us men would not need to wear seat belts ,, its simple really”
by liz, stoke
Thursday, July 02 2009, 12:19PM
“Just out of curiosity, could anyone tell me why they don't want to wear a seatbelt so much, and if they wear one, why they are bothered about the fine, because they wont get a fine?????”
by Gertrude Windsor, Trentham
Thursday, July 02 2009, 7:30AM
“The police don't have to justify the fine because they don't make the rules. The Home Office upped the fine yesterday.
However, I'm not sure I agree with your view. The issue of illegal number plates has long troubled me because if vehicles with them are involved in crime or an accident (like a hit and run), they could be far more difficult to identify. If a driver isn't wearing a seatbelt on the other hand, the potential consequences are self-inflicted.
Plus, there are other penalties if somebody not wearing a seatbelt is involved in an accident: Like the insurance company refusing to pay. Or facial disfigurement. Or death.”
by JD, Newcastle
Thursday, July 02 2009, 7:11AM
“Personally i think £60 is not enough punishment for non wearing of seat belts. And those who allow there children to travel with out one should be jailed! They are there for people protection, so live with it. However, how can the police justify the same level fine for the illegal number plates? If fines are set on a risk basis then this should not be the case for potenially going through the wind screen and having non official fonts on your number plates!”
by Bob Hope, Hanley
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 8:37PM
“Dave, Rustinho, ever heard of sarcasm, innuendo? Read, inwardly digest before you make nonsensical comment!”
by Gertrude Windsor, Trentham
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 7:29PM
“Dave, the driver is only responsible for ensuring people under 14-years of age are wearing a seatbelt.
If the police pull you over and an adult passenger isn't wearing a seatbelt, the adult passenger gets prosecuted, not the driver.”
by TIM, STOKE
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 6:55PM
“If you have an accident and you are injured and want to claim for injuries and it is found that you were not wearing a seatbelt, you may not get any comp or just a fraction of what you would have got if you had been belted up.
Therefore wear your belt, CLUNCK CLICK EVERY TRIP.”
by Julie, Trentham
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 6:55PM
“Rustinho - common sense at last! This is really just is a money-making racket, nothing to do with caring about safety of vehicles users.”
by Dave, Stoke
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 6:52PM
“Bob Hope - the only one talking drivel is you by the looks of things, but your opinion is clearly the only one that matters! How is the police fining people for not wearing a seatbelt - something which would only have consequences for them in the event of an accident - the same as letting everyone do exactly what they want?! And a driver is responsible for ensuring their passengers wear a seatbelt, as this could potentially injure the driver in an accident.”