Motorists urged to belt up as Northamptonshire Police supports annual national seat belt campaign

One click could change your future - that is the simple message to motorists who put their lives at risk every time they choose not to wear a seat belt when driving on the UK’s roads.

From today (Monday, June 6), officers from Northamptonshire Police will be out in force looking for anyone who isn’t belted up on our county’s roads in support of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) annual seat belt operation.

This campaign, which runs until Sunday, June 26, aims to raise awareness of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt whilst driving, which can increase the chances of being involved in a fatal or serious collision.

Not wearing a seat belt is one of the main contributors and is one of the fatal four driving offences alongside drink and drug driving, speeding, and using a mobile phone whilst behind the wheel.

In the last six years, the proportion of car occupants killed who were not wearing a seat belt has remained consistently above 20 per cent, with those aged 16-25 the most highly represented age group.

Research has also shown that 25.8 per cent of all males who died were not wearing a seat belt compared to 14.8 per cent of females. While more unbelted fatalities or serious injuries happened between 7pm and 7am.

PC Dave Lee of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team said: “Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our county’s roads remains a priority for the Force and its Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners.

“Wearing a seat belt in a car is such a basic piece of road safety advice and could be the difference between life and death in a road collision. It’s disappointing that some people still fail to belt up or wear their seat belts incorrectly.

“For the next two weeks, we will be out and about across the County looking for people who can’t spend five seconds putting their seatbelt on. The penalties people may face can include a fixed penalty fine and in some cases a court appearance.

“Having attended a number of fatal road traffic collisions where people have been ejected from the car, the consequences of not wearing a seat belt just aren’t worth contemplating.

“By not wearing one, you’re 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle and twice as likely to die from injuries as a result of a collision. So please take responsibility for your personal safety on the roads and belt up!”

The first week focuses on educating motorists on the consequences of not wearing a seat belt, followed by a further two weeks of enforcement when anyone stopped faces further action.

Anyone caught not wearing a seat belt can take an online education course or receive a fixed penalty fine of £100. If they elect to go to court, the fine increases to a maximum £500.