Summer holidays might cost you a £500 fine for one particular motoring offence...

Drivers being fined for a particular offence is set to spike over the coming months, especially during the school summer holidays, experts warn.

Thousands of drivers are penalised for this specific breach of the rules each year, with the majority of prosecutions issued between April to August, a new report has revealed.

And the punishment if caught breaking this law can be huge, with a fine of up to £500 for drivers.

Some 11,164 motorists in the last three years have been fined for being caught on the road with children under the age of 14 either not wearing a seatbelt or not being secured correctly in a car seat, according to Select Car Leasing.

The offence attracts a £100 on-the-spot fine - rising to £500 if unsuccessfully contested in court.

A freedom of information (FOI) request by the vehicle leasing provider found prosecutions for this offence typically increase by around 20 per cent in the spring and summer months.

In 2022, there were 3,447 fines issued to motorists for failing to have a child safely buckled up, which increased to 3,808 in 2023.

Last year, the volume of fines decreased slightly to 3,509.

In the first three months of 2025, an additional 393 fines have been passed to motorists.

These figures were obtained from 37 out of the 45 UK police forces who had records of penalties issued over the last three years for this type of offence.

The six constabularies not to provide data are Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, West Mercia and Dyfed-Powys.

Records show that these offences are most prominent from April to August each year.

In 2022, an average of 276 fines were issued each month, however, this increased to an average of 347 monthly penalties between April and August.

A similar pattern occurred in 2023, with an average of 303 fines per month overall, but this shot up to 369 fines on average per month between April and August.

This continued in 2024, with an average of 281 fines per month across the full year but rising to 337 over the peak six-month spell when temperatures are typically warmer.

Graham Conway, managing director at Select Car Leasing, said: 'It's unclear why the offences spike as the mercury rises, but it's likely a combination of things; more journeys being made with children during the holiday period, seasonal police clamp-downs, and youngsters perhaps feeling uncomfortable wearing a seatbelt when the temperature rises.

'What is clear, however, is that fines are steep, with drivers hit with a charge of up to £500 if a child under the age of 14 isn't properly restrained.

'The accident risk of a child not wearing a seatbelt is also alarming, with the latest Department for Transport road casualty stats showing how 25 per cent of all car occupant fatalities involved someone not wearing a seatbelt.

'A proper car seat and/or seatbelt can be the difference between life and death in the event of an accident.'

Motorists driving in London were issued with more than 3,000 fines in the past three years, making this the capital for people failing to restrain their children in vehicles.

West Yorkshire follows as the area with the second-highest number of fines issued, while Greater Manchester Police handed out the third highest volume of penalties for this particular type of offence.

While the requirement for rear-seat passengers to wear seatbelts become a legal requirement back in 1987, regulations for the correct use of child car seats were introduced only in 2006.

This requires all children under 14 travelling in a car to be safely secured in a vehicle and if caught using an unsuitable or incorrectly fitted car seat risks a £500 fine.

Children must use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm, whichever comes first.

Babies that weigh between 0 and 13kg should be in a rear-facing baby carrier or rear-facing baby seat using a harness.

Babies between 9 and 18kg can be placed in a rear or forward-facing seat using a harness or safety shield and babies between 15 and 36kg can be placed in a rear or forward-facing child car seat using a seat belt, harness or safety shield.

If using a height-based seat, babies should be rear-facing until they are 15 months old.

Recently, parents have also campaigned to have these rules changed to require children to remain rear-facing until they are four years old.

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As current law stands, failure to wear a seatbelt (either as a driver, passenger, or someone in charge of a child who isn't wearing one) is an offence that does not attract points on a licence.

However, it is punishable by a £100 on the spot fine. If the driver challenges the offence and the case goes to court, the fine can be increased to £500 if still proven guilty.

In some cases, a fine can also be waived if the offender opts to pay for an online safety course instead.

The AA Charitable Trust recently called for legislation reform that would see newly-qualified drivers issued six points if caught not wearing a seatbelt. For those who have held their licence for less than two years, this would result in an automatic ban.

Its recommendation came after it analysed official records and found that two in five (43 per cent) 17-to-29-year-old passengers who died in car accidents between 2019 and 2023 were not belted.

Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by around 50 per cent, meaning up to around one quarter of all young car passenger deaths could be avoided if all young passengers put their belts on, the trust said.