Belt up in the Back

For most drivers, wearing a seatbelt is second nature and few would dispute the fact that they save lives. But there is still a worrying minority of young drivers and their passengers who don’t always wear them. This problem is particularly apparent with people travelling in the back, where it seems there is still a perception that it’s uncool to belt up.

Rory, a twenty year old student who lives in Aberdeen, says he (is this right in terms of English? Just sounds funny)and his friends rarely wear seatbelts in the back: ‘Only a few of my friends have cars so when we go places there’s normally quite a few of us in the car. I don’t really wear a seatbelt when I’m travelling in the back, although I always do when I’m a passenger in the front. I’m not really sure why, it’s just habit I suppose. When I’m driving I wouldn’t dream of asking my mates to belt up in the back – I don’t want to sound like my dad!’

But not wearing a seatbelt in the back is just as dangerous as not wearing one in the front. In fact, it can be more so, as the force of your body weight hitting the person in front of you can kill or seriously injure them. In a crash at 30 mph, without a seatbelt, you will be thrown forward with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own body weight. If you’re unbelted in the back, not only will you hit the seat in front of you with high impact but you’ll propel the person sitting in it forward at force too.

Michael McDonnell, Director at Road Safety Scotland, says there’s a mistaken belief among drivers that wearing seatbelts is only compulsory in the front: ‘For most people, wearing a seatbelt in the front is a given but for some reason those same people often don’t wear one in the back. In reality, the law requires you to wear a seatbelt at all times wherever you’re sitting’.

The penalties for not wearing a seatbelt in the front or the back are the same – a fine of up to £500. But the real consequences are literally life and death. Since they became compulsory in 1983, seatbelts have saved around 50,000 lives and continue to save an estimated 2,000 lives per year.

Emily, who passed her test just over a year ago, had a nasty shock when she bumped into another car while driving round town: ‘I was driving to the cinema with four friends in the car and had to slam on the brakes – the car in front of me had stopped suddenly. I was wearing my seatbelt and so was my mate in the front but one of the girls in the back wasn’t. She went straight into the back of my seat and burst her nose, there was blood everywhere. I got a big jolt as well and had a bit of whiplash. It could have been so much worse – now I always make everyone in my car belt up and, if they moan, I say it’s not just their life I’m trying to save, it’s my own’.

For more information about wearing seatbelts visit www.thinkseatbelts.com

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