HL Deb 04 November 1997 vol 582 c289WA
Lord Braine of Wheatley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether heavily pregnant women are exempt from the requirement to wear seat belts; and, if so, why.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)

The Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) Regulations 1993, SI 1993/176, determine those who are exempt from the requirement to wear a seat belt in a motor vehicle. Pregnancy, per se, is not a ground for exemption, although registered medical practitioners may issue a "Certificate of Exemption from Compulsory Seat Belt Wearing" if they judge it appropriate.