Research supports need for hard hitting seatbelt safety adverts

Research revealed by Direct Line has found that 19 per cent of British motorists admit to driving while not wearing a seatbelt. The Road Safety Report reveals that 29 per cent of accidents occur within one mile of home, yet an alarming number of British motorists do not wear a seatbelt because they believe they are unlikely to be involved in an accident during short journeys.

The top five excuses people use for not wearing a seatbelt are;

I just forget (38 per cent)
I put my seatbelt on after I start driving (32 per cent)
I do not think I am likely to be involved in an accident when driving short distances (12 per cent)
I make a lot of stop-start trips/I regularly have to get out of the vehicle (11 per cent)
I can't be bothered (8 per cent)

While significant progress has been made in recent years to educate drivers on the dangers of not wearing a seat-belt, this attitude towards driving short distances without a seatbelt helps explain why in 2006, 34 per cent of car occupants killed on our roads were not wearing seat belts. This equates to more than 500 people.

Maggie Game, Head of Car Insurance for Direct Line, says: "Hopefully this advertising campaign will convince the 19 per cent of motorists who still don't wear seatbelts to buckle-up. If every British motorist wears a seatbelt, we will see hundreds of lives saved on our roads each year."

"Taking a few seconds to put your seatbelt on can significantly reduce the likelihood of being seriously injured or killed in a car crash. Motorists believe that they are unlikely to be involved in an accident during short journeys, yet our research shows 29 per cent of accidents occur within a mile of home."

"Modern seatbelts have been with us for 50 years, and it is time fastening a seatbelt became second nature. Motorists should not start a journey until all occupants have buckled-up in preparation for what is one of the most dangerous activities we undertake."

Parents are not only putting their own wellbeing at risk, but also that of their children. Direct Line's research has found that 20 per cent of motorists who say their child should use a child safety seat admit to letting them travel without appropriate restraints.

Once again, motorists are making the mistake of assuming short journeys are safe journeys with parents twice as likely to drive with their child unrestrained for journeys under a mile than for longer trips.

Astonishingly, two per cent of respondents said they don't wear a seatbelt because they are pregnant.

As well as the emotional damage caused to the family and friends of those affected by road accidents, each road fatality costs society around £1.2 million pounds and serious accidents £140,000.

For more information on the features of Direct Line's Car Insurance, visit directline.com