Anyone who still refuses to wear a seatbelt is definitely an idiot - plain and simple.

Planned reforms by the Government mean they will be cracking down harder on drivers who fail to wear seatbelts as there will be bigger fines together with bans.

Drivers will face an automatic ban and three points on their licence if found to not be wearing their seatbelt.

The reforms follow statistics showing a quarter of drivers and passengers killed in road accidents in 2019 were not using the safety devices.

At present drivers can only be given a £100 fine which rises to £500 should they choose to go to court, or choose to take speed awareness course.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) said that the existing fine is no longer acting as a deterrent, and David Davies MP warned that the £100 fine does not emphasise enough to drivers the seriousness of not wearing a seatbelt.

Putting your seatbelt on takes a matter of seconds and it definitely protects lives. It is not only about protecting your life but also making sure you don’t put others lives in danger as well

The proposed harsher penalties are definitely a great idea but it does seem ridiculous that some selfish people still need to be reminded about such a basic safety issue after all these years.

Mrs L M Jackson