Post date: 01-Oct-2018 17:24:58

• More than 200 people who died in cars last year were not buckled up, DfT said

• A total of 1,793 people were killed on Britain's roads in 2017 - 1 more than in 2016

• Worryingly, around 4% of drivers and riders breathalysed after a crash were found to be over the drink drive limit

• There was a decline in car occupant and cyclist deaths but a rise in motorcyclist and pedestrian casualties

The proportion of car occupants killed while not wearing a seat belt has reached its highest level since records began, according to new figures released by the Government on Thursday.

More than a quarter of people who died in crashes on Britain's roads in 2017 were not safely bucked up, according to the Department for Transport's annual road casualty report.

Some 787 car occupants were killed last year, which is a four per cent decline compared to 2016.

Total deaths on Britain's roads, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, remaining almost unchanged at 1,793 - one more than the year previous, the DfT confirmed.

A DfT spokesman said: 'We have some of the safest roads in the world and we are always looking at ways of making them safer.

'The number of deaths where people were not wearing a seat belt is shocking.

'Up to one in four deaths in a car could have been prevented by simply plugging in before moving.'

Failure to wear a seat belt carries a minimum penalty of £100. If a case goes to court, that fee can rise to as much as £500.

But despite the risk of fines and the Department for Transport's Think! road safety campaign there's still been an increase in the number of people paying the ultimate penalty for not belting up.

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