Bedford Driving Lessons

More than one third of car occupants killed in collisions are not wearing seat belts, according to a new report ‘Clunk Click’ published today by the AA. The AA Seatbelt Report shows that seatbelts more than halve the risk of death in a collision. However, the 7% not wearing seatbelts are overrepresented in fatalities, which suggests that the sort of driver who chooses not to wear a belt is twice as likely to be involved in a crash as someone who does belt up. Nearly 300 lives per year would be saved if all car occupants belted up. The AA Seat Belt Report suggests that targeting these non belt wearing “crash magnets” could have beneficial effects beyond the issue of seat belts. The report also points to evidence from Lord Stevens, the ex Metropolitan Police Commissioner, that Princess Diana would have survived the Paris car crash had she been wearing a seat belt. The report shows lower seat belt wearing rates amongst: Men (especially young men), Rear seat passengers, Company car drivers, Only 69% of drivers of vans, lorries, buses, coaches and minibuses regularly wear seat-belts. These groups are less likely to wear belts late at night or early in the morning. It appears that 14% of the population are “intermittent” belt users. More