Thousands of people could have avoided performance car insurance claims over the past 25 years thanks to the introduction of laws stipulating that seatbelts be worn in vehicles.
According to findings by the Department for Transport, some 60,000 lives have been saved since it became compulsory for drivers and front seat passengers to use the safety features.
Meanwhile, the belts are also thought to have helped avert around 670,000 accidents since 1983.
Commenting on the figures, road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: "With up to 15 drivers and front seat passengers killed each year by the impact of an unbelted rear seat passenger it is vital that everyone - young or old, travelling in the front or back - wears a seatbelt."
The department suggests that current research has shown that 94 per cent of motorists and 93 per cent of front seat passengers now buckle up.
But the BBC cites findings as having shown that 2.3 million drivers still fail to wear a seatbelt.
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