UK Drivers Face Penalty Points as Law Change Targets Seatbelt Offenders
A major overhaul of road safety rules is on the horizon, and it’s aimed squarely at UK drivers and their passengers.
For the first time, drivers could face penalty points if their passengers are caught without a seatbelt. The change, expected to be rolled out across England and Wales, is part of a new strategy designed to crack down on dangerous behaviour inside vehicles.
The move follows growing concerns about compliance, with enforcement now boosted by technology such as AI cameras catching phone and seatbelt offences already being trialled in some areas.
BBC News reports that the measure will be included in a broader road safety plan set to be unveiled by the Labour government this autumn. Ministers believe current safety campaigns are failing to get through to the public.
This shift follows urgent warnings from Lancashire’s Senior Coroner, Dr James Adeley.
Back in April, he wrote to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, urging immediate action to prevent further tragedies on the roads. His concerns came after a series of inquests revealed shocking gaps in driver safety standards.
A source close to the transport secretary told the BBC the government accepted that the rules “need to be reassessed”.
Dr Adeley’s findings paint a troubling picture. He described the UK’s licensing system as the “laxest in Europe”, noting it is one of only three countries that still relies on drivers self-reporting sight problems.
Even more concerning, he said, the UK is the only European nation issuing licences without any vision checks until the age of 70.
The comments were made during inquests in Preston into the deaths of Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and Anne Ferguson, 75.
Mrs Cunningham and Mrs Foulds, close friends, were killed when they were struck by Glyn Jones, 68, in his Audi A3 as they crossed a road in Southport, Merseyside, on 30 November 2021.
Dr Adeley said, “The four fatalities shared the same feature that the driver’s sight was well below the standard required to drive a car.
“The current system for ‘ensuring’ drivers meet the visual legal standards is ineffective, unsafe and unfit to meet the needs of society as evidenced by the deaths of Marie Cunningham, Grace Foulds, Anne Ferguson and Peter Westwell, where the DVLA continued to provide licences to drivers who had failed to meet the legal sight requirements.”
The upcoming legal changes, with penalty points for seatbelt offences, mark one of the biggest shifts in road safety enforcement for decades.
Ministers are expected to frame the move as part of a broader effort to protect both passengers and pedestrians, and to hold UK drivers more accountable for everyone in their vehicle.
