In a startling incident, police stopped a car on a busy road in Nottingham and discovered it was carrying 14 people, more than double its legal capacity.
Response officers pulled over the seven-seater Vauxhall Zafira on Nottingham Road in New Basford on Monday, 27 May, suspecting it was overloaded. Upon inspection, they were shocked to find the vehicle packed with 14 passengers, including eight children who were not wearing seatbelts.
The male driver has been summoned to court for multiple offences, including driving without due care and attention, failing to ensure children under the age of 14 were wearing seatbelts, and using a motor vehicle where the number of passengers was likely to cause danger.
PC Dan Bird, of the Radford Road Response team, commented on the situation:
“Carrying too many passengers in a vehicle is a serious offense, primarily due to the safety risks it poses. People are twice as likely to die in a car accident if they do not wear a seatbelt, which is why we were extremely alarmed to find eight children without seatbelts inside this vehicle. Drivers should always adhere to their vehicle’s passenger capacity as failure to do so can have devastating consequences. Furthermore, driving with more passengers than there are seatbelts can void your car insurance, leaving you uninsured in the event of an accident. You can also face penalty points on your license and a fine. In severe cases, you might be summoned to court where penalties could be more significant.”
By law, all drivers and passengers must wear a seatbelt while travelling in a car, van, or other vehicle, whether they are sitting in the front or as a passenger in the back seat. The driver is responsible for ensuring children under the age of 14 are wearing a seatbelt. Passengers aged 14 and over are responsible for their seatbelt use.
Passengers caught failing to wear a seatbelt when one is available can be fined £100, which can increase to £500 if the case goes to court.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of adhering to vehicle safety regulations to prevent potentially tragic outcomes. For more updates, follow local police advisories and road safety guidelines.
