Rear seatbelts compulsory from Monday

AS OF Monday, the use of rear seatbelts will be mandatory in all vehicles equipped with the safety devices.

The law, approved unanimously by parliament almost a year ago, will make drivers liable if a child is riding in their car without a belt on; adults in the back seat are themselves liable if they fail to wear a seat belt. The law covers vehicles of less than 3.5 tonnes.

The fine for not strapping on is £50; drivers caught without belt also incur penalty points.

According to police statistics, over the past five years 284 drivers and passengers lost their lives on the road; out of these, only 45 were wearing a seat belt. Fatalities usually occur when persons are hurled outside, crashing against the windscreen. A police announcement issued yesterday said that at least 28 lives could be saved every year if drivers complied with seatbelt regulations.

Rear seatbelts are mandatory in most EU countries.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.