Seat belt would have saved death crash taxi driver

Oct 7 2008 By Andrew Hirst

A TAXI driver killed in a freak crash would probably be alive today if he had worn his seatbelt.

Now police have urged other taxi drivers to wear their belts even though the law exempts them.

Hackney carriage drivers don’t have to wear belts at any time as they can pick up passengers from the streets and are always in and out of their cars.

Private hire drivers have to be pre-booked and these drivers don’t have to wear their belts when passengers are in the vehicle.

In both cases it means that if the drivers feel intimidated or threatened by unruly passengers or robbers they can get out more quickly.

But Sgt Paul Denton from Huddersfield traffic police has urged all taxi drivers to now wear their belts after what happened to Mr Deo.

His car hit a street sign that had been bent into his side of the carriageway after another car hit a central reservation, demolishing it on Wakefield Road in Lepton minutes earlier.