Nottingham police stop car carrying 14 including eight children not wearing seatbelts
29 May 2024, 14:27 | Updated: 29 May 2024, 15:09
Police in Nottingham have stopped a car packed with 14 people.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Officers stopped the seven-seater Vauxhall Zafira on May 27 believing to be loaded with more people than legally allowed.
Police founded 14 people inside - double the seven legally allowed to travel in the vehicle.
The number included 8 children who were not wearing seatbelts while travelling through New Basford in the north of Nottingham.
The driver was summonsed to court for driving without due care and attention, failing to ensure children under the age of 14 were wearing a seatbelt and using a motor vehicle where the number of passengers was likely to cause danger.
Read more: The Czech is in the Post: Royal Mail accepts £3.5billion takeover bid from Czech billionaire
PC Dan Bird, of the Radford Road Response team, said: “Carrying too many passengers in a vehicle is a serious offence, primarily due to the safety risks it poses.
“People are twice as likely to die in a car accident if they do not wear a seatbelt, which is why we were extremely alarmed to find eight children without seatbelts inside this vehicle.
“Drivers should always adhere to their vehicle’s passenger capacity as failure to do so can have devastating consequences.
“Furthermore, driving with more passengers than there are seatbelts can void your car insurance, leaving you uninsured in the event of an accident.
“You can also face penalty points on your license and a fine. In severe cases, you might be summoned to court where penalties could be more significant.”
Read more: Junior doctors in England to strike for five days in run-up to General Election
By law, all drivers and passengers must wear a seat belt while travelling in a car, van or other vehicles whether they are sitting in the front of the car or as a passenger in the back seat, a press release from Nottinghamshire Police said.
The person driving is responsible for making sure children under the age of 14 are wearing one. For passengers aged 14 and over it is their own responsibility to wear a seat belt.
Passengers caught failing to wear a seat belt when one is available, unless they have a special reason not to, can be asked to pay a £100 fine. The fine can increase to £500 if the case goes to court.
