Every week in the UK, four young people (aged 17-29) lose their lives in road collisions1, when not wearing a seatbelt. In 2023, more than a third (36%) of car occupant deaths in this age group were young people who weren’t wearing a seatbelt2.
In 2025, no one should die due to something as basic as not buckling up. Although overall seatbelt wearing rates are high3, for some, seatbelts are sometimes still seen as something uncool, inconvenient, or sadly, optional.
But what would happen if seatbelts weren’t just safety features, but must-wear fashion statements?
This summer, we’re turning this question into a reality.
The Seatbelt, Reimagined
At Scrap Car Comparison, we’re not just about cars – we’re about making driving, and being on the road, safer for everyone. That’s why we’ve teamed up with fashion students from the University of Northampton to create THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION, a four-piece capsule collection of bold accessories, made from recycled seatbelts. Designed to be worn anytime, anywhere, these unique pieces place safety at the heart of fashion.
From Friday 15th August, each piece will be available to purchase on eBay, either through auction, or a fixed ‘Buy It Now’ price of £208 – to honour the 208 young people per year killed due to not wearing a seatbelt, with all proceeds going directly to the road safety charity, Brake.
THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION
The Impact Corset
Created by Anna Shirley
Anna Shirley is a student at the fashion course at Northampton University and her designs for The Impact Corset uses both the clasp and belt of old seatbelts.
A sculptural response to the immediate, explosive force of a crash, the Impact Corset transforms the essence of destruction into bold, wearable design. The recycled seatbelt straps form the underlying structure of the piece, running into statement ties at the back of the piece. The asymmetric style also echoes a seatbelt being drawn across the body, while the voluminous ruffles mimic airbag inflation during a crash. Together, the bold design challenges our perception of safety, and reminds us of what could be at stake.
The Holdall
Created by Niall Walker
Niall Walker studies fashion at Northampton University and designed The Holdall duffel bag from seatbelts and old pieces of Decathlon wear.
Designed by Niall Walker and crafted from reclaimed seatbelts as well as end-of-life garments from Decathlon, this statement duffle bag embodies the essence of purposeful design. Heavy-duty seatbelt buckles and straps wrap around a structured silhouette, transforming them into a strong piece able to carry whatever you need.
From the familiar click of the multi-way straps that enable the bag to be worn in many configurations, to the weight of the straps over the shoulder, the piece reminds us that safety is something that should always be carried with us.
The Belt Bag
Created by Joanna Penc
A fashion student at the University of Northampton, Joanna Penc submitted designs for a denim cross-body bag, The Belt Bag, which took the feature of wearing a seatbelt across your body quite literally.
Reworked denim meets industrial restraint in this cross-body bag. Worn across the body, like a seatbelt is worn in a car, the piece blends the familiarity and classic elements of denim with the unexpected, in the form of the seatbelt strap.
Embellished for a softer feel, the piece highlights the balance between comfort and safety, hitting home the message that being strapped in can be both smart and chic.
The Bonnet
Created by Alice Joy Homer
The Bonnet, a fashionable hood, was created by fashion student Alice Joy Homer, who attends Northampton University.
Inspired be festival fashion, the Bonnet was designed to be worn as a fashionable form of sun protection, and takes the safety provided by a seatbelt into a whole new context.
The contrast of the industrial strength of the seatbelt fabric and hardware with the soft peach coloured fabric creates an elegant tension between fragility and force.
The Design Challenge
The collection was developed through a 10-week collaboration with fashion students from the University of Northampton. Students were challenged to create wearable, unisex items that incorporate both seatbelt straps and buckles, to highlight the importance of wearing a seatbelt in a car. The results: innovative, powerful designs using unconventional, sustainable materials.
Emmeline Child, Programme Leader for Fashion at the University of Northampton said:
“It’s been great to work with both Scrap Car Comparison and Brake on this project, as not only has it given our students the opportunity to work to a live brief, but it’s also challenged their design skills as a result of reclaimed seatbelts being a key part of the final garment. Working with unconventional materials and upcycling techniques is something that is playing an ever-bigger role in fashion, and working with seatbelt fabric definitely proved to be quite the challenge!
“The whole project is a great proof-point for how fashion can reflect society and be a powerful tool for engaging in social issues – the statistics that four young people are killed on the roads every week while not wearing a seatbelt is a shocking one, but hopefully the garments produced by our students can play a role in shining a spotlight on this issue, and make wearing a seatbelt truly cool.”
Emmeline Child is the Programme Leader for Fashion at the University of Northampton and guided the students with their designs.
Own a Piece, Make a Difference
Each of the items from THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION will be available to purchase on eBay from Friday 15th August to Monday 25th August, either at auction, or a ‘Buy It Now’ price of £208.
The price point reflects not only the exceptional craftsmanship and time invested by the students but also serves as a symbolic tribute to the estimated 208 young lives lost as a result of road collisions, while not wearing a seatbelt.
Proceeds from the collection will go directly to Brake, the road safety charity, to fund their vital work campaigning to end road death and injury and supporting families who have been bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes.
Ross Moorlock, Chief Executive Officer at Brake, the road safety charity said:
“Seat belts are one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect ourselves when travelling by car, yet some still choose to risk their own safety – and the safety of those travelling with them – by choosing not to belt up. Around a quarter of car drivers and passengers who die in road crashes on roads in Britain aren’t wearing a seat belt.
“We believe it is always safer to wear a seat belt than sometimes wear one. Whatever the length of your journey, and regardless of whether you are carrying passengers, we urge everyone to belt up for every single journey.
“It’s refreshing to see creative campaigns, like this one, seeking new ways to engage the public on this vital issue. Finding fresh approaches to promote the life-saving benefits of wearing a seatbelt can help ensure that important road safety messages continue to reach new and wider audiences.”
If you’re interested in purchasing one of the items from THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION, you can drop your email address in the form below to receive two reminders – one when bidding opens, and one just before the auction ends – to ensure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to own one of these unique pieces.
The Law On Seatbelts In The UK
Though the majority of young people do wear their seatbelts while in a moving vehicle3, for the small percentage who don’t the consequences can result in a brush with the law, as well as more severe outcomes in the result of a crash. In the UK, it’s a legal requirement for all passengers to wear seatbelts if one is fitted, with only one person allowed per seatbelt. Being caught in a moving vehicle without wearing a seatbelt can lead to a fine of up to £500.
Children must also be suitably secured when in a vehicle, either in the correct car seat for their height or weight until they reach 135cm tall, or their 12th birthday, or wearing a seat belt if they’re 12 or 13 years old, or younger and over 135cm tall. The driver of the vehicle can be fined up to £500 if a child is found to not be in the appropriate car seat or wearing a seatbelt.
There are only a few specific exceptions when you don’t need to wear a seatbelt, including:
- If your doctor says you are medically exempt
- If you are reversing a vehicle, or supervising a learner who is doing so
- In a vehicle being used for police, fire and rescue services
- Driving a goods vehicle on deliveries and are travelling no more than 50 metres between stops
The law also states that disabled and/or pregnant drivers and passengers must wear a seatbelt, unless they have been issued a valid medical exemption by a medical professional. Passengers in taxis and other private hire vehicles must also wear one if there is one fitted.
Police forces across the UK are also stepping up enforcement to try and crack down on the issue. Forces are currently trialling the use of the ‘Heads Up’ camera system which can detect people not wearing seatbelts as well as using mobile phones behind the wheel. In just one five-week period in Greater Manchester, more than 3,200 people were caught by the cameras for one of the two offences4.
Laws save lives, but only to a point. Penalties such as licence points or fines are definitely a deterrent, but unfortunately in many cases, they still aren’t enough to encourage people to buckle up. People are far more likely to take action when something feels empowering, rather than punishing – when the outcome is positive, not just avoiding a negative5.
That’s what THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION is about. Turning a life-saving habit, into a bold, wearable statement.
Interested in the story?
If you’re interested in writing about this project and would like further details and media assets, please contact us at [email protected]
Sources
1THINK! 2024
2RAS0711: Proportion of car occupant fatalities not wearing a seatbelt: Great Britain, from 2014
3 Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seatbelt-and-mobile-phone-use-surveys-2023
4BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8dpvxexz8o 5Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Springer. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2000_RyanDeci_SDT.pdf
