More than 50 drivers caught not wearing seatbelts during road safety campaign

Did you know, if you have a crash while driving, you’re twice as likely to die if you don’t wear a seatbelt?

Every week, four young people aged 17 to 29 are also either killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads when not wearing a seatbelt.

They take less than 30 seconds to put on, but could mean the difference between life and death.

Despite this, there are still drivers and passengers out there who refuse to wear one.

During a targeted operation last week, our roads policing officers issued 50 tickets to drivers who were not wearing a seatbelt.

An additional six were given words of advice, while two were summonsed to court.

Worryingly, officers also found a number of children who weren’t wearing seatbelts or weren’t in appropriate car seats for their age and height.

One woman was stopped in Tindale, in Bishop Auckland, after officers spotted a child stood up on the back seat as she drove round a roundabout.

After pulling her over, they found two children, aged two and five in the back of her car – neither were wearing seatbelts or sat in appropriate car seats.

She was issued with a traffic offence report for endangering passengers, and reported for other driving offences, including driving with no insurance.

Another driver was stopped on three separate occasions and was not wearing a seatbelt each time. He was issued with three separate tickets and will now have to pay £300 in fines.

The operation was run with assistance from Durham County Council’s Road Safety Team, who spoke to drivers about the importance of seatbelts and using appropriate child seats.

Pete Tate, Durham Constabulary’s Casualty Reduction Coordinator, said: “Seatbelts save lives, it really is that simple.

“Therefore, it is deeply disappointing to see that people – including young children - are still failing to wear them while driving.

“All too often our officers and staff have to deal with collisions in which seatbelts have not been worn, and they must deliver the horrendous news to a family that their loved one has been killed.

“The fact that their life may have been saved had they been wearing a seatbelt causes further heartbreak.

“We want to prevent tragedies like this happening in the future, which is why operations such as this are important.”

 A reminder to all motorists:

• Drivers are responsible for ensuring suitable safety restraints are worn by all passengers under 14-years-old.
• Passengers over 14-years-old are responsible for wearing their own seatbelt and can therefore face prosecution.
• The safest way for children to travel in cars is in an appropriate car seat. Children must use an appropriate child car restraint for their weight until they are 135cm tall, or their 12th birthday.
• Failure to wear a seatbelt carries a fine of £100. If prosecuted, the maximum fine could be anything up to £500.