The members of the British Royal Family are still facing a severe PR storm in light of Prince Philip’s car crash near Sandringham Estate, which he caused. This new report may only add more fuel to the fire.
Prior to the accident and days afterwards, the Duke of Edinburgh was seen driving on public roads without his seatbelt on. The Queen herself was caught on the wrong footing when, one day after the crash, she was seen arriving at Sandringham in the passenger seat – and with no seatbelt on.
According to various road safety charities and the British public / media, members of the Royal Family should lead by example. They should also be forced to respect the same laws as common mortals because, at the end of the day, driving or riding shotgun without a seatbelt is illegal, unless some medical condition specifically prevents it.
The Sun claims to have an explanation for why the 2 Royal heads prefer to ride without a seatbelt: they do it because they can, because their people send instructions in this sense to Jaguar Land Rover, before delivery of a new car. In other words, their cars come with the seatbelt alarm disabled, so they can drive as they see fit without having the alarm annoyingly go off. At least, that’s what an unnamed insider claims.
Whether that’s accurate we might never know, but one thing is crystal clear: more and more voices are asking for equal treatment for the Royals, as well as more accountability on their part.
“Not wearing a seatbelt flies in the face of decades of evidence and puts your life at risk,” Joshua Harris, director at road safety charity Brake, says. “Seatbelt reminders are vital to get people to remember to buckle up and keep themselves safe and within the law - we would never recommend disabling these devices, unless related to a valid exemption.”
“Simply put, seatbelts save lives, are required to be worn by law and you can face a hefty fine if you're caught not wearing one,” Harris adds.
That a seatbelt saves lives the Duke already knows. When his Land Rover Freelander was T-boned by a speeding Kia at a junction near Sandringham, his car flipped twice on the road. When witnesses got to him, he was hanging by his seatbelt, so he probably has that to thank for for walking away unharmed.
According to various road safety charities and the British public / media, members of the Royal Family should lead by example. They should also be forced to respect the same laws as common mortals because, at the end of the day, driving or riding shotgun without a seatbelt is illegal, unless some medical condition specifically prevents it.
The Sun claims to have an explanation for why the 2 Royal heads prefer to ride without a seatbelt: they do it because they can, because their people send instructions in this sense to Jaguar Land Rover, before delivery of a new car. In other words, their cars come with the seatbelt alarm disabled, so they can drive as they see fit without having the alarm annoyingly go off. At least, that’s what an unnamed insider claims.
Whether that’s accurate we might never know, but one thing is crystal clear: more and more voices are asking for equal treatment for the Royals, as well as more accountability on their part.
“Not wearing a seatbelt flies in the face of decades of evidence and puts your life at risk,” Joshua Harris, director at road safety charity Brake, says. “Seatbelt reminders are vital to get people to remember to buckle up and keep themselves safe and within the law - we would never recommend disabling these devices, unless related to a valid exemption.”
“Simply put, seatbelts save lives, are required to be worn by law and you can face a hefty fine if you're caught not wearing one,” Harris adds.
That a seatbelt saves lives the Duke already knows. When his Land Rover Freelander was T-boned by a speeding Kia at a junction near Sandringham, his car flipped twice on the road. When witnesses got to him, he was hanging by his seatbelt, so he probably has that to thank for for walking away unharmed.