Belt up or pay
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Figures quoted in Road Accidents Great Britain 1977 lend weight to my suggestion that accident casualties who could be proved not to have been wearing seat belts where they were fitted might reasonably be required to pay for private medical treatment.
Only 252 belted front-seat occupants of cars and light vans were killed in 1977, compared with 1,553 who were not wearing belts. The chance of death through not using a seat belt appears to be six to one The case for seat belts is not quite so striking when casualties of all severities are analysed but there is still a four to one advantage, with 22,957 belted front-seat passengers injured as against 85,303 who were not wearing belts.
According to Government statistics, the deaths of the 1,553 people who were not wearing belts cost more than £88m. The cost of the 85,303 avoidable casualties of all severities is over £164m. If the medical element of that sum were recovered from patients as a tax on folly, life-saving units in hospitals might not have to be closed for lack of funds.