On the 31st January 1983, the UK Parliament passed legislation to make seatbelt wearing compulsory where fitted in the front of cars. It was the result of years of campaigning by medical and safety organisations, but the law was opposed by the Conservative Government and the Labour Official Opposition.

The campaign led to the formation in 1982 of the Parliament Advisory Council for Transport Safety – or PACTS for short - under the Chairmanship of Barry Sheerman MP.

In this episode we hear from Barry, who has reunited the broadcaster Nick Ross, the safety advocate Jean Gaffin and the barrister Glyn Maddocks to remember what they achieved – and to reflect on how many lives were saved as a result…

Valerie Singleton presents Voices from the Road, an exciting project in which we will seek to create and build a fascinating audio archive capturing the widest possible range of motoring memories – starting way back in 1932. These stories could be individual accounts of road journeys… exciting adventures… and achievements from specific years…  as well as more noteworthy developments in road safety, vehicle technology and motoring law. The key thing is the people telling the stories... it’s all about real life on the road.

Check out the show's website here.

GEM Motoring Assist can be found on Facebook, Twitter and on their website.

James Luckhurst can be found on Twitter.

And be sure to check out Project EDWARD.