Drivers and passengers reminded to ‘belt up’

Drivers and their passengers are reminded to ‘belt up’ as figures released from Somerset Road Safety show that up to a quarter of vehicles contain at least one person who is not wearing a seat belt.

As part of Avon and Somerset Police’s Operation Relentless aiming to keep road users safe on the roads, the police and local authorities across Avon and Somerset are joining a week-long Europe-wide road safety campaign, starting on Monday March 11, 2013.

During the week, mobile patrols will be on the lookout for anyone breaking the law – sending out the message that seatbelts should be worn in all seats in all vehicles.

In the same operation in September last year, more than 300 drivers were stopped. They were all given information leaflets, advice and in some cases verbal warnings. 71 were given fixed penalty £60 fines for seatbelt offences and 24 were given the option of attending a driver education course.

Not wearing a seatbelt is one of the ‘fatal four’ driving offences. The others are speeding, drink and drug driving, and using a mobile phone while driving.

Chief Insp John Holt of Avon and Somerset’s Operations and Roads Policing Unit said: “This seatbelt campaign is part of our on-going commitment to reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads. Most people wouldn’t dream of driving even a short distance without belting up, but those who do break the law should know that we will take action against them to help make the roads safer for everyone.”

Police are working together with Somerset Road Safety to raise awareness of the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt, hosting a series of seminars across the county to educate people about the issue.

The seminars will provide information to those caught not wearing a seatbelt at police roadside checks.

Cllr David Hall, Cabinet Member responsible for road safety at Somerset County Council, said: “We want our roads to be a safe place and we are working closely with the police to tackle the problem. There is no good reason not to use a seat belt. If your car crashes at 30mph and you aren’t wearing a seatbelt you will hit the dashboard or the seat in front of you with a force of up to 60 times your own body weight. It is the difference between having a very bad day and not seeing the next one at all.”

Across Europe, the majority of countries support the TISPOL seatbelt campaigns, which occur twice annually.

During the last campaign in September 2012 nearly 100,000 penalties were issued across Europe and of the 97,489 penalties, 3,539 related to children not wearing seatbelts or other appropriate safety restraints.

Experts estimate that the increased wearing of seatbelts due to national legislation and police enforcement has reduced fatalities by more than 20 per cent. Research has also shown that a child under four is ten times more likely to be killed if unrestrained.

Posted in News