FINED: Spate of London taxi drivers have been targeted recently for NOT wearing seat belts

A spate of London taxi drivers have been targeted by police for not wearing seatbelts and cabbies have warned colleagues to be ultra careful in the future.

The rules for a taxi or minicab driver means they ARE exempt from wearing seatbelts under the following circumstances (reg. 6 The Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) Regulations 1993):

• a licensed taxi while it is being used for seeking hire, or answering a call for hire, or carrying a passenger for hire, or

• a private hire vehicle while it is being used to carry a passenger for hire.

Most importantly this exemption does NOT apply to passengers who are required to wear seatbelts. Any person over the age of 14 MUST wear a seatbelt to avoid committing a criminal offence.

However, a taxi driver who had just dropped off a fare, and turned off their light, posted on social media: “Just had a traffic cop do me for not wearing a seat belt. Never ever heard of it before.”

Another taxi driver, Lee Mosch, responded: “Taxi driver friend also got done for same offence last week in Buckingham Palace Road. Was told to spread the word they would be nicking cab drivers for no seatbelt.”

It was a similar story from cabbie Richard Barford: “Exactly the same happened to my mate in South Audley Street… he’s just dropped off an app job, didn’t put his light on and that’s when he got pulled over by the lovely policeman.

“He was cautioned but hasn’t had anything through the post yet!!

“I believe it’s a £100 fine.”

Mike Hughes correctly pointed out: “Legally taxi drivers do not have to wear a seatbelt while POB (passenger on board), plying for hire in their licensed area or, in a stated case, while on way to pick up a booked fare (that would also apply on way to app job).

“PH (Private Hire) are only exempt while POB so have to wear seatbelt while empty.”