Motorists face bigger fines

On-the-spot fines of £60 have been introduced by the Home Office for drivers and passengers caught not wearing a seatbelt. Car owners with illegal number plate lettering will also be charged £60.

The fines, which have both doubled from £30, are the result of police fears that the number of car occupants travelling without a seatbelt is increasing, and that more car owners are trying to avoid speeding fines by altering their number plates. It is becoming more commonplace for drivers to use non-standard fonts to individualise their plates, though in some cases owners will use black tape to actually alter the sequence of letters and numbers to deceive enforcement cameras.

Many motorists will see the increases as another way of squeezing more money from them, but Road Safety Minister Paul Clark disagrees, saying: "every day someone dies because they do not think they always need to use a seat belt. This tragic waste could be avoided if everyone took the simple step of belting up every time they got in a car. "

Last year the Department for Transport estimated that over one in ten motorists do not regularly use a seatbelt when driving.

Mark Nichol