What is the penalty for not wearing a seat belt?
A £100 fine.
Camera operators trigger the laser camera when they see these offences being committed and they are recorded on the DVD system as evidence. The DVD then goes to the Driver Diversion Team where staff send a request for driver information to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
Anyone exempt from wearing a seat belt will be able to state this on the request for driver information and, if relevant, send a copy of their exemption certificate.
Seat belt exemptions
Confusion about the law on seat belts remains, especially surrounding commercial vehicles. As of 2005, delivery drivers are only exempt from wearing a seat belt when conducting ‘local’ deliveries – travelling 50 metres or less between stops.
Taxi drivers carrying a fare and some medical conditions are also exempt from wearing seat belts.
For a list of seat belt exemptions, click on the following link: Seat belt exemptions
In a crash someone not wearing a seat belt is more likely to die than someone using one.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA’s head of road safety, recently said: “We must not become complacent over seatbelt wearing; seatbelts are highly effective in protecting vehicle occupants and significantly reduce the risk of being fatally or seriously injured in a crash.
“As television advertisements have shown, an unbelted rear seat passenger can be thrown forward and kill someone in the front of a car. In a crash at 30mph, if unrestrained you will be thrown forward with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own bodyweight.”
