More than one in three car occupants aged 17 to 29 who died on Britain’s roads between 2021 and 2025 were not wearing a seatbelt. The figure, 35.6%, exceeds the overall rate across all age groups, which stands at 24.6%.
Seatbelt non-use highest among young drivers
The AA Charitable Trust analysed Department for Transport (DfT) casualty data to produce the figures. It found car drivers aged 17 to 24 had the highest share of unbelted casualties, with 14% of killed or seriously injured drivers not belted. This compares with 10% across all age groups.
Edmund King, president of the AA, described the findings as “shocking.” He emphasised the human cost behind the statistics, with lives cut short and families affected.
Short trips, back seats and urban roads carry greater risk
The 35.6% figure includes passengers as well as drivers. Passengers tend to give different reasons for skipping seatbelts, which matters because the highest risk is on short trips, in urban areas, and in rear seats, according to previous DfT research.
Drivers travelling less than a mile without a seatbelt were more than twice as likely to be killed as those belted up. Similarly, 75% more unbelted occupants died in crashes on urban roads compared with rural locations.
Young male drivers aged 17 to 24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than drivers over 25. The riskiest seatbelt habits cluster around the shortest journeys on local roads, managed by councils across the UK.
How seatbelts save lives
In a crash, the vehicle stops suddenly, but an unrestrained occupant continues moving at the previous speed until stopped by the car’s interior, causing injury. A seatbelt spreads the force across stronger body parts and holds occupants in position for airbags to work effectively.
DfT data has shown occupants are twice as likely to die in a crash if not wearing a seatbelt. Without one, the car interior offers little protection.
Implications for the roads sector
Engineering measures such as junction design, speed limits and lighting reduce crash likelihood and severity. But occupant behaviour inside the vehicle remains crucial to survival.
Road authorities can design safer roads, yet casualties still occur when occupants do not wear seatbelts. The message from the AA is clear: no journey is too short to belt up.
The legal requirement to wear seatbelts is enforced by fixed penalty notices of £100, highlighting that belt use is not optional. Modern cars have advanced safety features, but human bodies remain unchanged since seatbelts were introduced.
Simple as it is, buckling up remains the most effective safety measure available to drivers and passengers on UK roads.
