Dicing with death: Gen Z are refusing to buckle up
Wed, 15 Jan 2025
Analysis by the AA has revealed a staggering number of young people killed in car crashes were not wearing their seatbelts.
An alarming 43% of young passengers aged 17-29 who die in car crashes are not belted.
As wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk by half, it means up to 1 in 4 of all young passenger deaths could be avoided simply by belting up.
Analysing the same data across all ages sees the number of unbelted fatalities falling to 27%. This illustrates how acute the issue is amongst youngsters.
Young male passengers are the highest risk – 68% of those who die unbelted are male. What’s more, crashes are also more likely to occur at night, with 3 in 4 happening when it’s dark.
Department for Transport data even shows that the risk is highest for non-belted passengers sitting in the back (40%), while weekends are the highest-risk days of the week.
As for young drivers who die in a car crash, 29% of them were not wearing a seatbelt – and 95% of them were male.
"Wearing a seatbelt is the single most effective way to protect yourself, and others in the car with you, from death and serious injury," says AA Charitable Trust director Edmund King.
“It is an utter tragedy that young people are dying as passengers and drivers because they have failed to put their seatbelt on.”
He said the shock research marked the start of a renewed focus from the AA Trust on the simple importance of wearing a seatbelt.
"Our message to young passengers is clear – belt up in the back. It could save your life, and the lives of others in the car with you."
Future of Roads minister Lilian Greenwood said the data highlights a preventable tragedy and that far too many young lives are being cut short simply because seatbelts aren’t being worn."
The government will continue to work with road safety organisations to help bring the stats back down, with initiatives such as its ‘Think! CLICK’ campaign.
The AA Trust looked into why youngsters aren’t belting up, with 14% saying they were less likely to wear a seatbelt on a short journey. Nearly 12% said they were less likely to wear a seatbelt when sitting in the back.
Alarmingly, 17% of drivers admitted they had driven without a seatbelt on – and 1 in 4 said they had driven while their passengers were not belted up.
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