Police stop overloaded car carrying 14 people

Police have stopped a car on a busy road in Nottinghamshire to find it was carrying 14 people.

Response officers pulled over the seven-seater Vauxhall Zafira along Nottingham Road, New Basford, believing it was overloaded.

Officers say they were shocked to find there were double the number of legally allowed passengers inside the car, including eight children who were not wearing seatbelts.

The driver has been summonsed to appear in court for driving without due care and attention, failing to ensure children under the age of 14 were wearing a seatbelt and using a motor vehicle where the number of passengers was likely to cause danger.

PC Dan Bird from Radford Road Response team, said: “Carrying too many passengers in a vehicle is a serious offence, primarily due to the safety risks it poses.

“People are twice as likely to die in a car accident if they do not wear a seatbelt, which is why we were extremely alarmed to find eight children without seatbelts inside this vehicle.

“Drivers should always adhere to their vehicle’s passenger capacity as failure to do so can have devastating consequences.

“Furthermore, driving with more passengers than there are seatbelts can void your car insurance, leaving you uninsured in the event of an accident.

“You can also face penalty points on your license and a fine. In severe cases, you might be summoned to court where penalties could be more significant.”

The law required all drivers and passengers to wear a seat belt while travelling in a car, van or other vehicles whether they are sitting in the front of the car or as a passenger in the back seat.

The person who is driving is responsible for making sure children under the age of fourteen are wearing seatbelts and for those over the age of fourteen it's their own responsibility.

The person driving is responsible for making sure children under the age of 14 are wearing one. For passengers aged 14 and over it is their own responsibility to wear a seat belt.

People caught not wearing a seatbelt when one is available and they don't have reason not to be wearing it can be asked to pay a fine of £100.

That fine can increase to £500 if the case goes to court.

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