UK to fine anyone wearing their seat belt under their arm
If you wear your seatbelt like this in the UK, you could be fined £100
Drivers are being stopped by UK police and given the choice of a fine or some distressing road safety videos because they did not wear their seatbelts correctly while driving.
Everyone knows you can be fined for not wearing a seatbelt, but not many drivers know that you can also be fined because of the way you wear it can also land you with a penalty? It turns out that people have different preferences in how they wear their seatbelts.
One driver was surprised to be pulled over by the police during her morning commute as she had not committed any obvious infringement. She wasn't on her phone and she was strapped in.
She was pulled over because she was not strapped in incorrectly. Driver, Tyler Mears, said she saw several other motorists being pulled over for exactly the same reason that same morning.
They were all wearing their seatbelt under their arm, instead of having the top strap over their chest and shoulder.
Although several of the drivers were aware that they weren't wearing their seatbelts the same way as most people, almost every driver stopped by police said they had no idea this was illegal and were totally unaware the law considered this in the same light as not wearing a seatbelt at all.
The UK police were taking part in an initiative to highlight the issue of not wearing seatbelts but also not wearing them correctly.
Drivers were given a choice of either paying a £100 fixed penalty notice or watching a short video about the importance of wearing a seatbelt correctly.
The road safety message was delivered by a firefighter who talked about his experiences of attending road traffic accidents and collisions, where people had not been wearing their seatbelt correctly.
His accounts included some distressing stories of motorists and passengers who had killed family members, or who had died unnecessarily, due to not wearing a seatbelt or wearing one incorrectly.
He explained how underarm use of shoulder belts may result in serious or fatal injuries - including severed arms, punctured lungs, internal organ damage and death.
Motorists were then shown a number of graphic videos, which showed first hand the reality of car crashes and what can happen if you don't wear a seatbelt correctly.
The video went on to show dash-cam footage of a taxi driver being thrown about his vehicle after falling asleep and a son who crushes his mother to death after not wearing a belt in the back seat of her car.
The presentation included images of deceased people in morgues with broken necks who had died as a result of not wearing a seatbelt.
Information was included outlining the number of deaths caused by people not wearing seatbelts, and the statistics are frighteningly high. In 2016 in the UK, there were more than 100 fatalities as a result of not wearing a seatbelt in Wales alone and by 2017, around 150.
Most drivers and passengers know that failing to wear seatbelts in the front and back of vehicles are breaking the law. They are also breaking the law if they don’t strap themselves in to secure the three-point harness in its buckle by pulling and pulling it across your body and not under their arm.
Adjust the shoulder belt to fit comfortably across the collarbone and chest. It should never rub on your neck or face. Never put the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm.
Check that the belt is secure before driving. 
Author
Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader
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