A new government campaign to tackle low seatbelt wearing rates among young men has gone live in England and Wales.

It’s the first new seatbelt campaign for 13 years

Run by the Department for Transport’s Think! road safety programme, the campaign will highlight how a simple click can save lives for both drivers and passengers.

It’s the first new seatbelt campaign for 13 years and will look to tackle overrepresentation of young people in casualty and fatality rates for incidents where seatbelts haven’t been worn.

Every week, four young people aged 17 to 29 are either killed or seriously injured on our roads when not wearing a seat belt, with young men more likely to not wear one, especially on short or well-known journeys. In 2022, 30% of fatalities among 17- to 29-year-olds were unbelted.

The campaign will deliver targeted advertising on roadside posters, radio and social media and will also work with partners, including various county football associations and local clubs, to encourage ‘belting up’.

Taxi and private hire vehicle companies, including Uber, are also lending their support and will potentially introduce direct reminders to passengers to wear their seat belt when making journeys in cabs.

Roads Minister Guy Opperman said: “We know how important wearing a seat belt is, reducing the risk of death for drivers in a collision by 50%.

“This campaign is part of the government’s plan to make our roads even safer and aims to make clicking in a seat belt second nature to young men, who currently run the highest risk of death or serious injury – reminding them that a simple CLICK can save lives.”

RAC’s road safety spokesman, Rod Dennis commented: “To most people, it’s second nature to wear a seat belt, but every time someone forgets to click theirs into place, they’re putting themselves and other passengers at risk.

“Young male drivers are much more likely to be seriously injured or killed than any other age group because they haven’t buckled up. For this reason, we’re in full support of Think!’s ‘Click’ campaign urging all car occupants to wear their belts in transit, but especially young male audiences for whom this message could literally save lives.”

Separately, seatbelt detection cameras are being used by more police forces nationwide. The cameras, also able to spot motorists using mobile phones, were first introduced in a  National Highways trial in 2021. Ten police forces have now signed up to the trials, which could play a major role in improving road safety.