The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has marked the 25th anniversary of the seatbelt with a reminder to drivers of the importance of wearing one.

Since the first seatbelt law was introduced in 1983, 50,000 lives have been saved through motorists wearing them.

However 370 unnecessary deaths still occur on UK roads every year through motorists not wearing a seatbelt.

The main culprits for driving without a seatbelt are van drivers and their passengers with RoSPA research identifying that only 69% of van drivers and 58% of their passengers regularly wear a seatbelt.

Head of Road Safety at RoSPA, Kevin Clinton, said, "We need to understand why they are still not getting the message and to ensure there are regular targeted campaigns so that deaths and injuries continue to reduce."

"It may be that some people simply forget to wear their belts and need to be encouraged to get into the habit. Others may not feel they are necessary or that it is not 'cool' to wear one. Perhaps it is time to consider giving drivers three penalty points when they fail to wear their belts."

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