30 October 2002: Young drivers should be restricted from carrying other people under 30 because it seems in those situations that they use their seatbelts less often. That’s according to research carried out at the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The study showed that young drivers were much more likely to use their seatbelts while carrying passengers aged over 30, who might be parents in many cases, than if they had their age peers as passengers.

They also used their seatbelts less according to the number of passengers carried, a fact not mirrored by adult drivers.

For all ages, the research also shows that seatbelt use was lower at night and when there was alcohol taken.