Crackdown catches nearly 300 not belting up in just two weeks on Northamptonshire roads

Stunned traffic cops caught nearly 300 drivers and passengers not wearing a seat belt during a two-week crackdown on Northamptonshire's roads.

Local officers took part in the national safety campaign targeting one of the 'fatal four' offences which contributes to numbers being killed or seriously injured on the roads.

PC Dave Lee of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team, said: “The difference between life and death in a road traffic collision can often be down to whether you are wearing a seat belt.

“We continue to see the consequences of driving without a seat belt on our roads, so it is extremely disappointing to still find so many people choosing to put their lives at risk by not wearing one.

“Seat belts are designed to work in conjunction with other car safety features including airbags, it’s therefore vital to wear it correctly as intended to reduce your risk of being killed or seriously injured in a collision.

“Although this campaign has now finished, we will continue to proactively police the county’s roads to educate drivers and passengers on road safety and enforce seat belt legislation.”

The highly-publicised campaign ran from June 22 and July 12

Week One focused on educating drivers and passengers on the dangers of not wearing a seat belt. This was followed by two weeks of enforcement as officers from the Safer Roads Team and others from across the Force targeted those continuing to flout the law by failing to belt up.

Police stopped 105 vehicles for not wearing a seat belt while another 172 motorists are receiving postal notice of intended prosecution after being snapped by one of the Safer Roads Team enforcement vans.

Anyone caught not wearing a seat belt receives an offer of an online education course, if eligible, or a fixed penalty fine of £100. The maximum fine is £500 if the case ends up in court.

Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on the county’s road is one of the Force’s policing priorities. Last year, 42 people were killed on Northamptonshire roads — an eight-year high — ,and a further 347 were seriously injured.

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