Swinton van insurance researchers uncover risky seatbelt trend

A new study of van insurance customers, carried out by Swinton, suggests nearly 80 per cent have trouble getting their passengers to "belt up".

The car and van insurance provider points out that drivers or passengers found not to be wearing a seatbelt in the event of an accident risk hampering a potential insurance claim.

Out of 2,000 van insurance customers questioned by Swinton, 68 per cent admitted having to ask passengers to belt up, with females accounting for 16 per cent of the so-called "un-beltables".

Just three per cent of van drivers said they don't wear a seatbelt on long journeys, the most common reason given being "discomfort".

"Driving or being a passenger in a vehicle and not wearing a seatbelt is strictly illegal," warns Phil Moss, commercial vehicle manager at Swinton. "Furthermore, if [you're] involved in an accident and it's discovered that you weren't wearing a seatbelt, [it] could seriously hamper any insurance claims."

In a separate study carried out by Swinton this month, seven out of ten van insurance customers admitted they use their vehicle as a "mobile office", spending an average of one hour and 23 minutes talking on their mobile phones every week.