Police in Cheshire 'shocked' after finding 15 people crammed into overloaded car
People on social media were also left baffled as to how it was possible, after North West Motorway Police posted about what they discovered when they pulled over a vehicle on the M62.
Thursday 16 November 2023 19:59, UK
Traffic police were left "shocked" after pulling over a car to find out it had 15 people inside.
The black Vauxhall Zafira was stopped by a Cheshire motorway patrol on the M62 on Wednesday, after officers thought the vehicle looked overloaded.
But on closer inspection, officers were "shocked" to find 15 people crammed into the car, including some children.
All passengers were not wearing seatbelts, North West Motorway Police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
The post on social media sparked reaction from users, who were left scratching their heads, asking how it was possible.
"15!!!!! How? Like one of those Russian dolls?" one user wrote, while another said: "How on earth did 15 fit in that!?! I can't fathom how it was possible!!"
The driver of the car and all the unrestrained adults were issued with traffic offence reports, police said.
These are issued in the case of minor traffic offences and can result in a one-off fine known as a 'conditional offer of fixed penalty notice'.
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The current law in the UK states adult drivers and passengers must wear a seat belt if one is fitted in the seat they are using.
There are only a few exceptions to this, including a driver who is reversing, or supervising a learner driver who is reversing and for medical exceptions.
People can be fined up to £500 if they are caught not wearing a seatbelt when they are supposed to, the gov.uk website states.
Only one person is allowed in each seat fitted with a seat belt.
Children must be in the correct car seat for their height or weight until they reach 135 centimetres tall or their 12th birthday, whichever is first, or wearing a seat belt if they're 12 or 13 years old, or younger and over 135cm tall.