Ascension : Police Report
Submitted by The Islander (Police Ascension) 03.09.2009 (Article Archived on 17.09.2009)

By the time you have read this, seat belt legislation has come into force. Leading up to this enactment of the legislation, awareness was created through the Islander, giving you an opportunity to comment on the proposed legislation.

POLICE  REPORT

THE EMERGENCY NUMBER FOR THE POLICE IS:

6666

This number is staffed 24/7 if it is a genuine emergency please use it.

Just because there is not a Police Officer in the Police Station it does not mean there are no officers on duty.

By the time you have read this, seat belt legislation has come into force.  Leading up to this enactment of the legislation, awareness was created through the Islander, giving you an opportunity to comment on the proposed legislation.  I’m sure there were issues that one didn’t understand in legal terms. To make matters simpler for you to understand in lay man’s terms, we have taken the liberty to set out the basic requirements of the law which are as follows.

The legislation was enacted to ensure the safety of those passengers and drivers travelling in a vehicle being driven on a road. The seat belt is intended to be worn to prevent or lessen injury in the event of a collision. Any person aged 14 years and above must wear a seat belt. This applies to front and rear seat passengers. Children under the age of 14 years must wear either an adult belt or a child restraint. A child restraint is commonly known as child seat. Children under the age of 14 years can be seated in the front seat of a vehicle, provided the vehicle is not fitted with a rear seat. The child must wear a seat belt or a child restraint.   A child cannot be seated in a rear-facing child restraining device in a front seat if the vehicle is protected by an airbag that has not been deactivated. If your vehicle is involved in a collision and the airbag is activated, the pressure from the airbag could injure your child in a rear-facing child restraining device.

There are certain exemptions on the wearing of seat belts.  An example is a passenger in a refuse or effluent vehicle in the execution of refuse or effluent duties on a journey between stops which does not exceed 50 meters.  Once he has carried out his duties, it is compulsory to wear a seat belt.

There are a number of pick-up trucks/vans being used on our roads. It has been the practice to carry passengers in the rear tray.  This is extremely dangerous if the vehicle brakes suddenly, lurches or is involved in a collision, because passengers can fall out and get injured. No passenger is allowed to travel in the rear of a vehicle unless he is wearing a seat belt.

In relation to a Landrover’s fitted with bench or box seats there is no requirement to wear a seat belt on seats that were not fitted with seat belts at the date of manufacture.  To make matters clear if your vehicle was not fitted with a seat belt at the date of manufacture, then you can legally drive without wearing a seat belt. It is the responsibility of the vehicle inspector to verify this.  If seat belts have previously been fitted to seats in vehicles and have been removed without being replaced, then an offence is committed.

Remember it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that all passengers are wearing a seat belt. If convicted you could be fined up to £500.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the police.

Reg Williams