Your Guide to UK Seat Belt Laws
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Since 1983, it’s been a legal requirement for drivers up and down the country to wear a seat belt and, since 1991, it’s been a legal requirement for everyone in the vehicle to wear a seat belt, regardless of their age or where they’re sitting. While, on the surface, seat belt law seems fairly black and white (you have to wear one and that’s that), it’s actually not all that simple once you start digging a little deeper – and that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing in this month’s article.
Seat belt laws UK
In short, UK seat belt law states that you must use a seat belt if fitted with one unless you are exempt. And given that nearly all vehicles on the roads today will have seat belts fitted (except for some very old classic cars), this means that pretty much every person travelling by car has to wear a seat belt unless exempt.
Is the driver responsible for passengers wearing seat belts?
When it comes to the driver’s responsibility for the safety of others in their vehicle, things get a little bit more confusing, so let’s clear it up.
The driver of the vehicle is responsible for the following when it comes to seat belts:
- For children under 3, it’s the driver’s responsibility to ensure they have been fitted with an approved child restraint and have been properly secured.
- For children between 3 and 12, it’s the driver’s responsibility to make sure that they have been fitted with an approved child restraint or, if they are big enough (taller than 135cm), are wearing a seat belt.
- For any pets that are travelling in the vehicle, it’s the driver’s responsibility to ensure that they have been adequately secured to prevent injury.
Passengers are responsible for the following when it comes to seat belts:
- For passengers who are 14 and older, it’s up to them to make sure that they are wearing a seat belt, not the driver (this is a common misconception).
Seat belt exemption
There are a few notable exceptions, when it comes to seat belt law, including some that you might not actually expect. These are:
- Delivery drivers: delivery drivers that are travelling no more than 50 metres between separate stops don’t have to put on a seat belt. However, you still could be asked to prove where your next stop is.
- Taxi drivers: licensed taxi drivers aren’t legally obliged to wear a seat belt. This is because they might need to help passengers with luggage, and it also makes them potentially more vulnerable to assault.
- Medical exemptions: doctors have the power to provide medical exemptions from wearing seat belts, for example, seat belts can be extremely uncomfortable for pregnant women.
What is the penalty for not wearing a seatbelt?
If you are caught by the police not wearing a seat belt in a vehicle that you’ve been travelling in and none of the aforementioned exemptions apply to you, then you can be fined £100 on the spot. What’s more, if you, the driver, are caught not wearing a seat belt whilst travelling with passengers under 14 who also aren’t wearing seat belts, then you will be charged £100 for each child too.
However, it’s worth noting that not wearing a seat belt won’t affect points on your licence, and you won’t need to inform your insurance company either.
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