A third of people killed in car crashes ‘not wearing a seat belt’

Almost a third of people killed in car crashes on UK roads were not wearing a seat belt, according to new data.

Figures from specialist police investigators suggest that the number is higher than stated in official statistics and that it has increased significantly in recent years.

Through the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), insurer Direct Line made a Freedom of Information request to police forces around the UK. It found that in 31 per cent of cases in 2018, fatal crash victims were not wearing a belt.

That is higher than the 26 per cent reported in the most recent government report into road fatalities.

More detailed reporting

The results differ because the Direct Line/PACTS data was obtained from specialist police forensic collision investigators (PFCI), rather than relying on the broader Stats19 reporting, which forms the basis of the official figures.

While the PFCI have specialist training and more time to consider and complete their reports, the Stats19 information is usually collected by response officers at the scene or from witness statements, and is generally filled out before the end of a shift. It also does not include data from Northern Ireland, while the 1,000 PFCI reports used to compile the analysis do.