Official Statistics

Seatbelt wearing rates: England 2023

Published 30 May 2024

Applies to England and Scotland

About this release

This release provides an overview on the proportion of drivers and passengers wearing seatbelts whilst driving in England, from a roadside observation survey carried out in autumn 2023.

A different observation method was used in 2023.  Results are therefore not comparable with previous surveys.

These are official statistics. For more information, see the About these statistics section.

Headline figures

The results of this observational survey show that, during weekdays in Great Britain, levels of seatbelt wearing remain high overall.  However, reported road casualty statistics show that a much higher proportion of car occupant fatalities are not wearing seatbelts.

These statistics show, for weekdays in England in autumn 2023:

• 97.6% of all vehicle drivers were observed using a seatbelt (compared with 96.4% for Scotland based on data collected in early 2024)

• 95.2% of all vehicle front seat passengers were observed using a seatbelt (compared with 95.7% for Scotland)

• seatbelt wearing rates varied notably by vehicle type, and were higher for cars and lower for other types of vehicle.

The latest road casualty statistics for 2022 show that 21% of car occupant fatalities in reported road collisions were not wearing a seatbelt.  This indicates that car occupants who do not wear a seatbelt are disproportionately likely to be killed in road collisions.

Things you need to know

Background

Since 1988 the Department for Transport has commissioned surveys of seatbelt wearing by vehicle occupants on the national road network. The results of the seatbelt survey can be used to assess compliance with the legislation in Great Britain and are useful for monitoring high level trends at a national level.  For the 2023 surveys, a different collection methodology was used which means direct comparison with previous years is not advised.

Definition

The restraint being used by each vehicle occupant was recorded as: seatbelt, rear facing baby seat, child seat, booster seat, booster cushion or unrestrained. Unrestrained includes improperly used seatbelts or child restraints. 

Methodology

Observations of driver and front seat passenger seatbelt wearing were made from images captured of vehicles in moving traffic at a total of 25 sites across England during October and November 2023.  Sites were surveyed once on a weekday, either morning or afternoon.  Further details are in the quality and methodology section  and the accompanying technical report. 

Equivalent data were collected for 5 sites in Scotland during February 2024, and this is presented alongside the England data for comparison. Data for 3 sites in England during the evening period was also collected during February 2024, to provide an initial indication of differences in wearing rates between daytime and evening periods.

Coverage

All results are for weekdays.  This release provides proportions for England. Further figures for Scotland are available in the accompanying data tables.

Overall seatbelt use

Overall, seatbelt wearing rates for vehicle occupants in England were high in 2023, with wearing rates for all vehicles estimated as 97.6% for drivers and 95.2% for front seat passengers.

The level of driver seatbelt wearing was broadly similar for England compared to Scotland in 2023. In both countries, wearing rates for car occupants were higher than those for all vehicles.

These figures are broadly in line with those shown in previous surveys, though as noted above, direct comparisons should be avoided due to the changes in survey methods. 

Since 1999, overall seatbelt use for car occupants has broadly risen. The biggest increase has been observed for adult rear seat passengers (not covered in the 2023 survey), from 54.0% in England in 1999 to 83.8% in England and Wales in 2021.  Over the same time period, driver, front seat and child rear seat passenger rates have always been higher and have remained broadly stable since 2009.

Various changes in the methodology and geographical coverage of the survey sites mean that figures are not directly comparable between years and so changes should be interpreted with caution.  Additionally, these are estimates from a sample of vehicles observed and therefore subject to sampling error (which has not been calculated here).

By vehicle type

The highest rate of seatbelt use amongst drivers in England in 2023 was observed for cars, and the lowest proportion was observed for taxis and private hire vehicles.  There is a broadly similar pattern for Scotland, as shown in the accompanying data tables.

This is similar to previous surveys.  The lower wearing rate for taxis and private hire vehicles is likely to reflect the exemptions from wearing a seatbelt for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, and is also based on a very small number of vehicles observed.

Chart 1: Driver seatbelt non-wearing by vehicle type, England (autumn 2023)

Vehicle   type	England
Car	0.9%
Taxi	19.5%
Private Hire Vehicle	22.4%
Other vehicle	6.3%
All vehicles	2.4%

By sex, age and seating position

In this survey occupant sex and age was estimated based on review of a still image captured by an infra-red camera.  The proportion of older drivers observed in the 2023 survey was lower than in previous surveys where roadside observation was used which may reflect the nature of the recording method used.  In the 2023 survey, rear seat passengers were not observed.

For all vehicle drivers in England, males had a lower rate of seatbelt use compared to females in 2023 (97.0% compared to 98.9%). There was a broadly similar pattern for front seat passengers (91.5% compared to 98.2%).  However, for car occupants, the wearing rates for males and females were more similar (99.1% for both male and female car drivers).

Across all vehicle drivers and front seat passengers, seatbelt wearing rates were higher (and conversely, non-wearing rates lower) amongst those estimated to be aged 60 and over compared to other age groups. 

Chart 2: All vehicle occupants seatbelt non-wearing by age and seating position, England (autumn 2023)

Age group	Driver	Front seat passenger
14 to 29	2.4%	8.0%
30 to 59	2.6%	4.8%
60 and over	1.8%	1.3%
All ages	2.4%	4.8%

There was a broadly similar pattern by age group for car drivers and front seat passengers, though the rates of non-wearing were lower than for the equivalent age group for all vehicles.  For children aged 0 to 13 in the front seat, the non-wearing rate was 3.2%

Chart 3: Car occupant seatbelt non-wearing by age and seating position, England (autumn 2023)

Age group	Driver	Front seat passenger
14 to 29	1.2%	2.9%
30 to 59	0.9%	1.7%
60 and over	0.8%	0.8%
All ages	0.9%	1.9%

By time of day

In the 2023 surveys, for the first time the survey method allowed observation to take place during the evening period (6pm to midnight).  To explore the impact on occupant seatbelt wearing, a small selection of 3 sites were re-surveyed during the evenings only in February 2024.   

This showed that driver seatbelt wearing appeared to be lower during the evening than for the same sites when surveyed during the day. At the 3 sites surveyed twice, 95.4% of drivers were observed wearing a seatbelt between 6pm and midnight, compared with 96.9% for the same sites when surveyed as part of the main daytime survey, although the differing survey month, mix of vehicles during daytime and evening surveys, and random variation should also be kept in mind.  In addition, this comparison is not weighted to allow for traffic flows.

The same broad patterns as noted above, for example lower rates of seatbelt wearing by taxi drivers compared to car drivers, and for males compared to females, were also observed for the evening survey.

Other variables

A range of other variables was captured in the observational survey.  The main points are summarised here, with further detail in the accompanying data tables.

Road type.  Driver seatbelt wearing rates varied little by road type in 2023, though a slightly higher proportion of drivers were observed using seatbelts on urban roads in England than rural roads.

Related information

Road casualty statistics

The observational survey results present high-level estimates of seatbelt wearing during daytime and evening periods.  This hides potential variations between areas, different groups or for periods not observed (for example during the night). Previous research has shown that although overall daytime wearing rates are high, for some types of driver or journey, they can be lower. 

Seatbelt wearing is recorded for those involved in personal injury road collisions reported to police and collected via the STATS19 road casualty dataset.  This information is not complete, particularly for non-fatalities.  Even for car occupant fatalities, seatbelt wearing status was unknown in approaching half of cases. Nonetheless, these figures show that wearing rates are much lower for those killed in road accidents than in general traffic as indicated by the observational surveys.

Table RAS0711 shows the estimated proportion of car occupant fatalities based on police road casualty data, showing that, of those where seatbelt wearing status is known, around a quarter of those killed were unrestrained.

Overall, based on data for 2018 to 2022 (the most recent 5 years for which data are available), 24% of car occupant fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt.  This rate varied by age, sex and accident circumstances, for example, based on this 5 year dataset:

• 30% of male fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt, compared to 14% of females

• 34% of fatalities aged 17 to 29 were unrestrained, compared to 32% aged 30 to 59 and 11% of those 60 and over (and 17% aged 0 to 16)

• there was little difference in wearing rates for driver and passenger fatalities

• those killed between 8pm and 6am were much more likely to be not wearing a seatbelt than those killed between 6am and 8pm (41% compared to 16%)

While a more detailed analysis of the STATS19 dataset would be possible, these figures illustrate that although wearing rates in observational surveys remain high, there are subgroups of the driving population where wearing rates may be lower and that those not wearing seatbelts remain over-represented in road fatalities.

Attitudes to seatbelt wearing

The National Travel Attitudes Survey (NTAS), includes two questions on attitudes to safety devices.  In the latest wave of the survey, 86% of respondents disagreed that ‘it is not important to wear a seatbelt for journeys under 15 minutes’ with 12% agreeing.

Northern Ireland surveys

This publication covers England, with some data also collected for Scotland.  Similar surveys of seatbelt wearing in Northern Ireland have been carried out, with the last in 2014.  These reported overall high rates of seatbelt wearing, with drivers and front seat passengers in 2014 more likely to be restrained (98%) than back seat passengers (94%).

Quality and methodology

Survey methodology

Full details of the 2023 survey methodology are available in the accompanying technical report.

Observational surveys of seatbelt use have been carried out since 1988, with a reduced frequency from 2009 onwards. Over this period the survey methodology including areas sampled and sites selected has changed several times, though all surveys up to 2017 were based on roadside observation. For the 2021 survey, a video-based approach was used in an attempt to modernise the collection method.  Although the survey methods evolved, the broad approach was consistent.

For the 2023 survey, there was a more radical departure from the established survey collection method, where data was collected via an infra-red camera, mounted to a survey vehicle.  This camera captured images of passing vehicles, which were then reviewed at a later stage to record seatbelt wearing, as well as estimating age and sex of the driver and front seat passenger.  

The use of this survey vehicle meant that changes were required to the survey sites.  A smaller number of sites in England (25, rather than 60) were surveyed once each during October and November 2023.  However each site was surveyed more intensively (with a greater proportion of vehicles observed), so that the overall number of observations analysed was greater than in past surveys.  An additional 5 sites were surveyed in Scotland during February 2024. 

As in previous years, an attempt was made to select sites in different areas of the country, and on different types of road.  While attempts were made to achieve a representative selection, there were some constraints related to the operation and storage of the survey vehicle.  More detail is available in the accompanying technical report.        

In the 2023 survey, observations were made of moving vehicles in traffic, rather than of stationary vehicles waiting in a queue at traffic lights (to allow ease of observation by roadside observers) as in previous surveys.  The nature of the sites used in 2023 is therefore quite different to in the past.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths. These observational studies provide an indication of the extent of seatbelt wearing by vehicle occupants in traffic at any one time, rather than relying on self-reporting.  They allow any large changes in wearing rates to be detected and allow monitoring of broad trends over time contributing to understanding the scale of seatbelt wearing.

The camera-based approach used in 2021 has the advantage of allowing cross-checking for quality assurance, particularly for observations of non-compliance. 

Although overall a relatively small proportion of vehicles were observed which means results are subject to sample variation, particularly for smaller subsets (e.g. particular vehicle types), the survey method in 2023 allowed a greater number of vehicles to be analysed than in previous surveys.

The use of an infra-red cameras allows data to be captured during evening time periods, where roadside observation is not practical, which provides an insight into how vehicle occupant seatbelt wearing might differ throughout the day.

Limitations. Caution is required in interpretation of these results. 

Overall a relatively small proportion of vehicles were observed which means results are subject to sample variation, particularly for smaller subsets (e.g. particular vehicle types).  In the 2023 survey, the observation method meant that data on rear seat passengers could not be captured.

For the 2023 survey, the use of a distinct marked survey vehicle may have impacted on the propensity of drivers wear a seatbelt in its vicinity and the images analysed represented only one snapshot at a point in time.  While work was done to attempt to explore this effect, it remains hard to determine the extent to which 2023 results may have been influenced by this factor.

Some observer judgement is required – either at the roadside or, in 2023, for image analysis.  Cross-checking was carried out to understand this, which showed that, for example, the estimation of age varied across coders to a larger extent than the recording of sex.  There is also evidence that the proportion of older drivers was lower than compared with previous roadside surveys (up to 2017), and the vehicle mix was also somewhat different (with fewer taxis observed).  While this could reflect changes in the traffic mix at different survey sites and post-pandemic, the observation method may also have had an impact.  

Finally, while an attempt was made to select a representative set of sites, covering different road types (major and minor roads with different speed limits) in urban and rural areas in different parts of the country, as noted above, the practicalities of data collection meant that it was not possible to survey as many sites as in previous surveys.  In particular, some types of site (in the middle of urban areas, or with low traffic flows) were excluded.  This is likely to impact on the extent to which results can be considered representative of the country as a whole.

Background information

Seatbelt legislation

In Great Britain, the law states that, whilst travelling in cars, vans and other goods vehicles a seatbelt must be worn if one is fitted. Use of a seatbelt restraint by drivers and front seat passengers in cars was made compulsory in January 1983. Rear seatbelt use was made compulsory for cars with belts fitted for children in 1989 and adults in 1991.

However, there are exceptions where a seatbelt does not need to be worn. Drivers of licenced taxis in Great Britain are exempt from wearing a seatbelt whilst seeking hire, or answering a call for hire, or carrying a passenger for hire. Drivers of private hire vehicles are also exempt from wearing a seatbelt when the vehicle is being used to carry a passenger for hire.

The results of the seatbelt survey can be used to assess compliance with this legislation in Great Britain. Further information on the law on wearing a seatbelt whilst travelling in a vehicle, and on cases where a seatbelt does not need to be worn is published on the gov.uk website.

About these statistics

These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

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Contact details

Road safety statistics

Email roadacc.stats@dft.gov.uk