§ Lord Janner of Braunstoneasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many back-seat passengers have been prosecuted for failure to wear seat belts; and how many and what percentage of those prosecutions have been successful. [HL2967]
§ Lord RookerIt is not possible to distinguish between driver and passenger seat-belt offences from the information held centrally in England and Wales or Scotland.
In 2000, under Section 14(3), 15(2) and 15(4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 there were 5,700 proceedings in magistrates' courts in England and Wales, of which 78.1 per cent resulted in a conviction; and in Scotland there were 2,943 offences proceeded against, of which 92.8 per cent had a charge proved.
In Northern Ireland, a separate offence of "failing to wear rear seat belt" exists under Road Traffic (NI) Order 1981, Article 129A. The latest information available shows that in 1998 there were two prosecutions where both resulted in a fine, and in 1999 there were none.