From today motorists and passengers face fines of £60 as a deterrent for minor safety offences
In the latest safety initiative by the government, the penalty fines for not wearing a seatbelt will rise from £30 to £60 from today. The penalty for motorists who have deliberately disguised or altered their number plates has also doubled to £60, as a reaction to concerns from the police that their warnings are going unnoticed.
A recent Home Office consultation found that many motorists and vehicle passengers are still travelling without a seatbelt. This is despite high profile media campaigns designed to draw attention to the 1 fatal injury every day that could be prevented had that person been wearing a seatbelt at the time of their crash.
Not only does not wearing a seatbelt increase your risk of injury in a road traffic accident, should the worst happen and you have an accident, it will also affect the amount of compensation you receive.
The effects of safety/seatbelts on compensation claims
When awarding compensation to the victims of non-fault road traffic accidents (RTA), the courts will take into account whether or not the victim was wearing a seat belt. Any compensation awarded to an accident victim who was not wearing a seat belt will typically be reduced by around 30% if the injuries could have been completely prevented or significantly reduced or by 15% if the injuries could have been slightly reduced.
At Camps Solicitors we see all too often the very serious consequences that wearing a seat belt can have. Often very serious injuries could have been prevented or lessened if the victim had been wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.
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