UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gets fined for not wearing his seatbelt

The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been fined for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car. He was filming a social media video in the car without his seatbelt on. Lancashire Police, who is looking into this case, confirmed the same.

According to the Police, they had issued a fixed penalty notice to Sunak, which involves a 100 pounds fine for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car.

“Following the circulation of a video on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire, we have today (Friday, January 20) issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty,” Lancashire Police said in a statement.

Rishi Sunak apologised on Thursday for a “brief error of judgment” in removing his seatbelt to film a video while driving in north-west England.

Sunak's spokesperson said, "That was a brief error of judgement. The PM removed his seatbelt to film a small clip. He fully accepts that this was a mistake and apologises for it.”

"The Prime Minister believes everyone should wear a seatbelt," the spokesperson added.

According to UK rules, if a passenger is caught without a seatbelt in a moving car, an on-the-spot fine of 100 pounds, increasing to 500 pounds if the case goes to court, is imposed on them unless covered by a valid medical exemption.

Passengers aged fourteen and above are instructed to ensure that they wear seatbelts in cars, vans and other goods vehicles in the UK. Exceptions are only for people with valid medical conditions having a doctor's certificate, or being in a police vehicle, fire or other rescue services.

The Prime Minister was fined when he was filming a video while sitting in the back seat of a moving car to promote his government's new Levelling Up Fund announcements to fund over 100 projects around the country. As he addressed the cameras, Police motorbikes could be seen taking away his car.

The latest data released by the Department for Transport figures show that around 30 per cent of people killed in car accidents on the roads in the UK in 2021 were not wearing their seatbelts.

(With agency inputs)

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