Drivers face penalty points for not wearing a seat belt

Drivers caught not wearing a seat belt will face penalty points in new plans announced by the Department for Transport. 

Currently, if a driver is found not wearing a seat belt, they face an on-the-spot fine of £100, rising to £500 if the case goes to court.

But as part of the Government's Road Safety Action Plan, which also includes proposals to ban new drivers from driving at night, drivers who don't buckle up will face points on their driving licence.

The new punishment for not wearing a seat belt is one of 74 measures included in the Government's Road Safety Action Plan to enforce stricter penalties on motoring offences. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) has not said how many points may be given.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of the 787 car occupants who died in crashes on Britain's roads in 2017 were not wearing a seat belt, according to the DfT. 

The law in England, Scotland and Wales is currently different than in Northern Ireland, where failure to wear a seat belt can lead to a £500 fine and three penalty points.

Under the Road Safety Action Plan, the Government is also considering fitting alcohol sensors to cars driven by motorists convicted of drinking and driving. These sensors will immobilise the vehicle if they're over the legal limit.

Drivers are responsible for ensuring each child passenger aged up to age 14 wears a seat belt and could be fined for each child without a seat belt. Children must be wearing a seat belt if they are 12 or 13 years old, or younger and over 135cm tall.  Passengers over 14 are themselves responsible for wearing a seatbelt.