Every so often when I walk home I play the game “How many people are driving illegally”, this is a daylight game, the winter version being how many cyclist ride without lights/ on the pavement. Last night I saw about 20% of the cars along Goldsmith Avenue (just which Fratton Park is located for those of a football nature) which had at least 1 person not wearing a seatbelt, some even did the double whammy driving whilst using a non hand free mobile as well.

Seatbelts are a good thing, maybe its because I have a mother who used to refuse to start the car until my sister had done up her (fitted at extra cost to my mum, they weren’t standard) seatbelt when she was little. I was always good and soon realised to get anywhere fast do up the seatbelt as soon as you get in! B on the other had quite often had tantrums (but not a patch on her M&S/ Sainsbury’s ones). I’d rather not have me or the occupants of my car to become pizza topping like, so that I feel its an important thing to do when you get in the car. I know that there are some dispensations allowed, but I’m telling you this showed this shows the Pompey mindset to a tee! Many of the car had adults in the front with seatbelts and adults in the back without them on … they aren’t just for kids (and some had kids and no belts done up)! It makes you wondered if there’s much point in other road safety strategies when many of the cars around here don’t understand that the law says you should be wearing a seatbelt where fitted! Get that sorted and then we can move onto something more complex.

.. in the words of the Hampshire County Council Road Safety Team’s radio adverts about seatbelts in the back “if you did this we wouldn’t keep having to tell you to belt up” I think its to the point, even if they do sound rather desperate in the ad!