Until 1983 it was legal to smash your own face in

The law which required motorists and front seat passengers to wear their seatbelts when driving came into effect on 31st January 1983. Incredibly, until the legislation came into effect, many drivers chose not to use their seatbelts and statistics showed that up to 60 percent of drivers did not do so. The advertising campaign ran on television, and in print, with the strapline urging people to use their seatbelts even before the law came into effect. The tagline (which I am quoting from memory) ran something like this: 'Until 31st January it is still legal for you to smash your face in.'

The government had long wished to make it illegal for drivers not to use their seatbelts, as they believed that lives were being needlessly lost as a result of the belts not being used when a vehicle was involved in a collision. There was strong resistance to the introduction of the law, with some arguing that it was evidence of a 'nanny state' approach, while others felt that seatbelts were uncomfortable.

Nonetheless the law did finally come into effect, and according to figures from the time, 9 out of 10 drivers did use the seatbelt once it became compulsory. The law was tightened further in subsequent years, with it becoming necessary to fit seatbelts to rear seats also, and by 1991 it was also compulsory for rear seat passengers to use their seatbelts.

Throughout the 1970s there were television public information films urging drivers to 'belt up' when driving, this one presented by the now-disgraced Jimmy Savile ran frequently: