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Half of backseat passengers don't buckle up

Almost half of all adult passengers travelling in the back seats of cars fail to use their seatbelt, a recent survey of British motorists has found.

The research, carried out by the Driving Instructor's Association (DIA) found that only 54 per cent of adults said that they always used a seatbelt when travelling in the back of a car, with the under-35 age group found to be the least likely to buckle up.

The statistics come as a shock to road safety campaigners who have urged both drivers and passengers to use seatbelts as they can save lives in a crash situation.

If you hit another car on the road even at relatively low speeds, and you're not wearing a seatbelt, then the hefty car insurance claim won't be your only concern, warn experts.

"In a 30mph collision an unrestrained child in the back seat would be catapulted forward at between 30 and 60 times their own body weight," explained Inspector Paul Taylor of South Yorkshire police, where nearly 8,000 drivers are stopped each year for not wearing seatbelts.

"So if you have a child weighing five stones, that would become 150 stones - about the same size as a baby elephant," he added.