Warning to parents they face £500 fines over their kids’ behaviour in the car
PARENTS have been warned that they could face a hefty £500 fine over their kids’ behaviour in the back of the car.
Parents must make sure that any children under 14 in the car when they are driving are wearing a seatbelt, according to the Highway Code.
Adult drivers or passengers can also be hit with the same hefty fine if they do not wear a seatbelt and there is one fitted to the seat.
If these laws are breached, drivers can be find up to £500.
Parents with children under 12 that are less than 135cm tall must also check they are travelling in the correct car seat.
If they notice their child has undone their seatbelt while moving, drivers should pull over and make sure it is fastened.
The latest reported road casualties in Great Britain report found that around a quarter of driving-related fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt.
Statistics show that rear seat passengers were slightly less likely to wear a seatbelt than front seat passengers.
Wearing a seatbelt became the law for drivers and front seat passengers in 1983, but this was only extended to back seat child passengers in 1989.
According to transport safety statistics, seat belts reduce serious crash related injuries or deaths by about half, and 15,000 lives were saved in 2017.
There are some exceptions to wearing a seatbelt – including if you are the driver and you are reversing.
There are lots of other ways in which motorists can face fines, including having too many passengers, or pets in the car.
Drivers can also face fines for driving through certain streets.
One motorist was even fined a whopping £5,000 because their dog was hanging out the window while they were driving.