THE BBC has been slammed by road safety campaigners after several contestants on The Traitors were seen travelling without a seatbelt.
The hit series, which peaked on Friday with almost 7million viewers, featured several scenes showing the contestants not wearing seatbelts while passengers in Land Rovers.
Now they have been criticised, saying it is only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt.
Lucy Straker, campaign manager at road safety charity Brake said: “Wearing a seatbelt is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce our risk of death or injury in a road crash.
“It is important for any person in a position of influence to act responsibly when driving or travelling as a passenger, so that those who look up to them can follow their example.
“We are relieved that so far no one has been hurt or killed. We would encourage the producers of The Traitors to reach out to us and take a positive step towards making safety a priority when anyone on the show is travelling in a vehicle.”
It is a legal requirement to wear a seatbelt while travelling on roads in the UK.
In various scenes throughout the series, filmed on private property in Scotland, traitors Harry Clark and Miles Asteri as well as faithfuls Jonny Holloway and Jaz Singh could be seen travelling without their seatbelts fastened.
IAM RoadSmart’s Nicholas Lyes said: “Irrespective of the reasons or location, not wearing a seatbelt sends a bad message to millions of viewers.”
A spokesperson for The Traitors said: “We take the health and safety of our contestants very seriously and understand the importance of road safety.
“It has come to light that on a small number of occasions some of the cast have not worn their seatbelts correctly.
“In future we will employ stricter checks on all passengers to make sure they are adhering to road safety rules.”
