Back Seat Passengers Should Belt Up

Approximately 8 million motorists in Great Britain are still breaking the law and putting lives at risk by not wearing seat belts in the back seat of the car. According to the new Direct Line Motoring Report, only 73% of British motorists claim they always belt up when a passenger in the back seat, despite this having been a legal requirement since 1991. 17-24 year olds are the worst offenders - only 60% of them say they would always belt up when a passenger in the back seat, compared to 82% of those aged 65 and over.

The figures are part of the latest Direct Line Motoring Report which provides an insight into some of the big issues affecting British car drivers. The report is based on research by MORI and is produced twice a year. Current estimates show that rear seat belts save at least 140 lives a year, while unbelted back seat passengers cause the death of around 40 front seat passengers. In a crash at 30mph, an unbelted rear seat passenger is thrown forward with a force of around three and a half tonnes [Transport Research Laboratory].

Annette Court, Direct Line's managing director, motor says:

'Our research shows it's time British motorists wised up to the fact that wearing seatbelts in the rear of the car saves lives. Direct Line urges motorists to protect themselves and their friends and relatives better. Life is tough enough on today's roads and belting up in the back seat is an easy way to make your journey safer.'

Among British drivers as a whole, the Direct Line Motoring Report shows that women are more conscientious than men when it comes to wearing seat belts in the back, with 77% claiming to always wear them when a passenger in the back seat, compared with 70% of men. Women drivers also come out in the lead with 74% saying they would always insist on their adult passengers wearing rear seat belts, compared to 65% of men. Overall, only 69% of drivers say they would always insist on their rear seat adult passengers wearing seat belts.

Seat Belts in the Front

Despite the fact that wearing seat belts in the front of the car has been a legal requirement for the last 17 years (since 1983), 4% of drivers say they do not always wear a seat belt when driving the car, with 8% saying that they do not always belt up when a passenger in the front seat. Moreover, one in ten drivers (10%) would still not always insist on their adult passengers in the front seat wearing a seatbelt.

Who's Responsible?

49% of drivers believe it should be the driver's responsibility alone to ensure that adult passengers in cars wear a seat belt , despite the current law, which states that only children under the age of 14 are the responsibility of the driver. However, only 26% of drivers think that it is the driver alone who should be fined when an adult passenger is not wearing a seat belt.

Other safety aspects highlighted in the Direct Line Motoring report include:

Safety Behind the Wheel

• Nearly a third of motorists (32%) say they have used a mobile phone without a headset or hands free equipment whilst driving their car, including 52% of 17-24 year olds (who are likely to be the least experienced drivers).
• 61% of motorists say they have eaten whilst driving their car, with men more likely than women to snack when driving.
• 4% of motorists say they have put on make up while driving their car, including 1% of male drivers!
• 31% of motorists claim that they drive with a pet in the car at some time, including dogs (25%) and cats (7%)
• 5% of drivers say that they have read a newspaper, magazine or book whilst driving the car.
• 32% of drivers say that they have smoked behind the wheel, with those aged 17-24 more likely to have done so than other age groups

British Drivers Getting Away With Speeding

Direct Line welcomes the road safety strategy but warns that culprits need to pay

In the light of last week's Government Road Safety announcement, Direct Line reveals that 31% of GB drivers (approximately 9 million drivers) say they have been flashed by a speed camera. However, only 32% of those who claim to have been flashed (approximately 3 million drivers) say they have been followed up in any way by the authorities.

The Government intends to reduce road deaths by 40% over ten years by clamping down on speeding. However, when driving on roads that have speed cameras, 22% of British motorists admit that they slow down only for the speed camera section.

The figures are part of the latest Direct Line Motoring Report which provides an insight into some of the big issues affecting British car drivers. The report is based on research by MORI? and is produced twice a year.

Annette Court, Direct Line's managing director, motor says:

'We welcome the Government's road safety strategy and particularly its emphasis on reducing the number of deaths by putting in place speed dampening measures. However, our research shows that British motorists do get away with speeding despite being caught by a speed camera. If British motorists are going to get the message and slow down, then follow-up procedures when they are caught on camera are going to have to be improved.

Other findings of the report include:

• 22% of women drivers say that they have been flashed by a speed camera, compared to 37% of men.
• In terms of age, drivers aged 65 and over are the least likely to have been flashed by a speed camera, with 78% of this group saying that they have never been flashed compared to 59% of 25-34 year olds.
• One in five motorists (21%) in the East Midlands, and 22% in Wales, say they have been flashed by a speed camera. This compares to a figure of 50% among drivers in Greater London.
• 53% of British motorists say they would approve of automatic speed limiters being fitted to cars as a compulsory measure (which would ensure that cars do not exceed the speed limit on any given road or motorway). In terms of age, motorists aged 65 or over seem to be most in favour of automatic speed limiters - 63% say they would approve of them being fitted to cars as a compulsory measure, compared to just 45% of 17-24 year old motorists.
• 66% of women drivers say they would approve of automatic speed limiters compared to just 44% of men.

The Direct Line Motoring Report will be available in full in April 2000.

Technical details

Survey conducted by MORI Financial Services on behalf of Direct Line in January 2000. A total of 2,000 interviews were conducted across Great Britain among adults aged 17 and over, who are Driving Licence holders and who have driven at least once in the last month. Interviews were conducted between 4th and 25th January 2000.