When new traffic legislation heralded mandatory seatbelt wearing, however, lots of people, not least among them front seat passengers, sulked. It was as if Parliament had imposed a burden on vehicular travellers.

Yet, the introduction of legislation making the wearing of seatbelts mandatory for front seat passengers and drivers has proven the world over to save lives and reduce the spate of serious injuries from road accidents.

It is with this conviction in mind that traffic cops, whom some countries refer to as road safety officers, have begun stopping drivers who are not wearing a seatbelt, or who have passengers not wearing seatbelts, and advising them of the consequences.

Seatbelt wearing in the front seat saves tens of thousands of lives around the globe every year. Especially after the long debate on traffic law reform, just about everyone knows that he or she should wear a seatbelt in the front seat. And many, we hope, will comply without having to be pulled over by our already-sapped police officers.

But it’s not only those who sit in the front sea that need to be concerned about wearing seat belts. Those who sit behind are similarly at risk of being injured or even losing their lives. Yet, many people apparently still do not realize how dangerous it is not to wear a seatbelt in the back.

Research overseas has revealed that only 48 per cent of adult and teenage passengers wear seatbelts in the back of a car. At previous checks across the county of Buckinghamshire in England, for instance, officers were alarmed at the number of parents who allowed their young children to travel in the car without using a restraint even though one was fitted. As a result, at least forty front seat passengers die each year because of back seat passengers not wearing a seatbelt.

In today’s edition, we’ve left out world news - and we apologize to our readers - because we felt compelled to disseminate as much information as we could on the importance of seatbelt wearing when travelling.

Andy Huxley, lead spokesman for transportation of the Buckinghamshire County Council, said some time last year that, "The most common excuse used by members of the public for not wearing a seatbelt is that they had only driven a short distance down the road. A high percentage of accidents happen on short trips and seatbelts must be worn on every trip. Back seat passengers are three times as likely to die or suffer serious injury in an accident while not wearing a seatbelt."