§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to enforce the wearing of seat belts by motorists and their passengers. [114950]
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§ Mr. HillEnforcement of road traffic regulations is a matter for the police. In 1997, the latest year for which figures are available, 175,334 fixed penalty notices and 14,300 written warnings were issued in seat belt cases. The magistrates courts also dealt with 8,180 cases, of which 6,411 were found guilty.
We are concerned about the number of rear seat passengers, in particular adults, who do not wear seat belts. The latest, unpublished, biannual survey, carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) on the Department's behalf in October 1999, showed that 76 per cent. of all rear seat passengers, 54 per cent. of adults, in all cars were wearing seat belts. The "Julie" rear seat belt television campaign was repeated during February.
The Government's forward plans for seat belt fitting and wearing are set out in pages 57 and 58 of "Tomorrow's roads—safer for everyone", the Government's road safety strategy, which was launched on 1 March. Copies of the strategy are available in the Library of the House.
The Department's leaflet "Seat Belts and Child Restraints" which provides advice on the law is widely available. Copies of the leaflet are also in the Library of the House.