Around a third of people killed on North East roads in the past five years were not wearing a seatbelt, new figures have revealed.
Road Safety GB North East (RSGB NE) data shows 306 people who were injured on the region's roads since 2017 were not wearing seatbelts.
Of those, 27 were killed and 105 were seriously injured, however many may have survived had they been wearing a seatbelt.
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Now Road Safety GB, which is made up of local highway authorities and practitioners from around the UK, has launched a campaign urging drivers to ensure they and their passengers are properly fastened in.
It comes as North East figures show Northumberland and County Durham were found to have the highest number incidents involving people not wearing a seatbelt from 2017 to 2021.
Of the 64 incidents recorded in County Durham, five were fatal and 21 resulted in serious injury.
While figures show of the 59 incidents recorded in Northumberland, seven were fatal and 23 resulted in serious injury.
RSGB NE Chair Cheryl Ford-Lyddon said: "The majority of people are sensible and wear a seatbelt every time they get in their vehicle, but the figures show that too many people are risking their lives by failing to buckle up before they set off.
"We know that seatbelts and child seats save lives. People are needlessly killed every year purely because they weren't fastened in properly.
"Perhaps they would have survived if they had taken the time to buckle up. That is a dreadful thought for their loved ones to have to live with."
While not being strapped in properly featured in only 5% of total casualties on the region's roads, 32% of people killed were not wearing a seatbelt – demonstrating the clear link between not being fastened in and the severity of injuries.
Almost half of those who were failing to wear a seatbelt, 49%, were aged between 17 and 34; and that age group accounted for 44% of the people killed.
However, a closer look at the figures shows that 17-20-year-olds were actually the highest risk group. They accounted for 15% of all injuries and 19% of fatalities involving people not wearing a seatbelt.
Cheryl added: "It's not just drivers we are concerned about. It's actually passengers who make up the vast majority of these injuries, particularly for the younger 17-20 group, with 78% being a passenger.
"We want to appeal to drivers. Make sure you and your passengers are wearing a seatbelt before you set off – it's your moral responsibility to do that. If you crash, you could have a fatality on your conscience."
Cheryl said children were also a major concern.
During the last five years, eight children were killed or seriously injured in the region in collisions when not properly secured in the vehicle.
Sgt Glen Robson, Northumbria Police's Road Safety Lead, said while not wearing a seatbelt was a major contributing factor to the level of injuries sustained on the region's roads, it was not, in itself, the cause of collisions.
He said the latest statistics showed that risky and illegal behaviour featured heavily in collisions where seatbelts had not been worn, such as being impaired by alcohol or drugs, loss of control, careless, reckless or dangerous driving, and exceeding the speed limit.
He added that this showed that people who failed to wear a seatbelt were much more likely to take other risks on the roads, too.
"Failure to wear a seatbelt is not a minor offence, failure to do so can result in avoidable deaths and serious injuries," said Sgt Robson.
"It is astounding to think that in 2022 – 40 years since seatbelt use became mandatory – that some people still get behind the wheel without buckling up.
"These results show us that it is still as important as ever to educate people about the importance of buckling up and remind people that we are watching and won’t hesitate to hand out fines of up to £5,000.
"Please, when you're out and about, always remember to buckle up - it might just save a life."
The figures show that males were far more likely to be injured while not wearing a seatbelt than females, accounting for almost two thirds of casualties (64%).
Strategic Inspector Kev Salter, of the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, said: "In a crash you are twice as likely to die if you're not wearing a seatbelt and that is why we will always endeavour to educate and enforce, where necessary.
"All too often our officers deal with collisions where people have not worn seatbelts and they have to deliver the horrendous news to a family that their loved one has been killed.
"Putting on your seatbelt takes a few seconds and could save your life. Please don't make us have to knock on your family's door to deliver tragic news."
Steven Thomas, Head of Prevention and Education at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Wearing a seatbelt can literally be a matter of life and death. It is that important.
"If you are the driver of the vehicle then you have a responsibility to not only yourself but to your passengers - checking that somebody is wearing a seatbelt takes just seconds but the consequences of them not wearing one can last a lifetime.
"A simple checklist of considerations can make all the difference for a safer journey. For starters take it easy on the roads and keep within the speed limit, even if the temptation for the new and younger drivers is to put your foot down on the open road.
"Also, for all drivers we would always say never drive under the influence of drink or drugs, and don't be distracted when driving - always take in to consideration the conditions of the road, for example, in bad weather.
"Please be careful whilst driving and be a considerate driver, as safety matters."
RSGB NE reports that injuries sustained by people who failed to wear a seatbelt were spread evenly across the region and occurred mainly in urban areas.
While the figures showed that County Durham and Northumberland had the highest numbers, this is to be expected as these are the two largest local authority areas in the region.
Number and severity of injuries involving people not wearing a seatbelt from 2017 to 2021 in the North East
County Durham: 64 (five fatalities, 21 seriously injured)
Darlington: 14 (one fatality, four seriously injured)
Gateshead: 19 (one fatality, six seriously injured)
Hartlepool: 10 (one fatality, four seriously injured)
Middlesbrough: 15 (one fatality, four seriously injured)
Newcastle upon Tyne: 35 (three fatalities, 13 seriously injured)
North Tyneside: 9 (one fatality, two seriously injured)
Northumberland: 59 (seven fatalities, 23 seriously injured)
Redcar and Cleveland: 6 (one fatality, one seriously injured)
South Tyneside: 20 (two fatalities, four seriously injured)
Stockton-on-Tees: 18 (no fatalities, nine seriously injured)
Sunderland: 37 (four fatalities, 14 seriously injured)
