Lower prices

for both fuels, with the average price of petrol at their sites finishing January at 145.71p (down 2.25p) and diesel at

SEVEN out of 10 UK motorists think responsibility for passengers to ‘belt up’ should lie with the driver.

More than two ­ thirds of motorists (68 per cent) believe drivers should be responsible for ensuring all their passengers wear seatbelts, according to new RAC research released to coincide with the 40­year seatbelt law anniversary on Tuesday, January 31.

Currently, drivers only have a responsibility to ensure they and any children in their vehicles are buckled up properly: with the latter potentially needing to be in a child car seat or booster seat depending on their age or height.

The RAC’s research suggests this responsibility should be broadened to include all passengers, with a third of respondents (33 per cent) also believing that drivers should be penalised in the event anyone they’re travelling with is caught not wearing a seatbelt and putting themselves at risk.

The RAC’s research also found that a quarter of motorists (24 per cent) believe the current law ­ where a driver can be fined up to £500 for not buckling up ­ is too lenient.

Having at one point been as much as 3.5p lower than at the start of the month, unleaded closed January at 148.89p, 3p lower than it began (151.85p). The last time drivers filled up at this price was in mid­February 2022 before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Filling up at one of the big four supermarkets was around 3p a litre cheaper