04 Nov 08 13:35
Many people claim they 'forget'
Almost one in five motorists in Britain do not wear a seatbelt, new research says.
Direct Line's research revealed that 29% of accidents occur within one mile of home, but 19% do not wear a seatbelt because they believe they are unlikely to be involved in an accident during short journeys.
Drivers who admitted to not wearing a seatbelt offered many excuses but 38% of the 2,063 interviewed said they simply 'forgot' and 8% said they 'just couldn't be bothered'. Astonishingly, 2% of respondents said they didn't wear a seatbelt because they were pregnant.
In 2006, 34% of car occupants killed on our roads were not wearing seatbelts. This equates to more than 500 people.
Maggie Game, Head of Car Insurance for Direct Line, said: 'If every British motorist wears a seatbelt, we will see hundreds of lives saved on our roads each year. Modern seatbelts have been with us for 50 years, and it is time fastening a seatbelt became second nature.'
