A third of fatalities on Britain’s roads – and more than 15 per cent of road fatalities in Australia – are linked to car occupants not wearing seat belts, as authorities remain frustrated at the number of people who still need to this is said.
According to official figures from the government, not wearing a seat belt was a factor in 30 per cent of fatalities on UK roads.
For people between the ages of 19 and 27, the figure reached 40 percent.
The numbers were even worse for night drivers, where not wearing a seat belt was a factor in 47 percent of deaths.
There was also a gender divide in the statistics, with the Department for Transport saying 34 per cent of men who died in crashes were not wearing seat belts compared to 20 per cent of women.
The latest figures from the Department cover 2021 and show that 1,558 people died in accidents in Britain – a 7 per cent rise on 2020, when 1,460 died despite Covid-related travel restrictions.