Seatbelt crackdown finds 62 drivers who 'can’t spend five seconds making sure everyone is properly strapped in'

Two children among those found at risk in vehicles
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An annual road safety crackdown caught 62 drivers commiting seatbelt offences on Northamptonshire roads in just two weeks.

Two of them involved children travelling in vehicles while not properly strapped in.

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Northamptonshire Police safer roads team manager Matthew O’Connell said: “Most people automatically put their seat belt on without thinking.

The drivers were caught during a crackdown.The drivers were caught during a crackdown.
The drivers were caught during a crackdown.

“However, sadly there’s still some drivers who can’t spend five seconds making sure everyone in their vehicle is properly strapped in.”

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

The National Police Chiefs’ Council three-week operation is aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.

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Week one focused on educating motorists on the consequences of not wearing a seat belt and was followed by two weeks of enforcement — during which 62 offences were detected across Northamptonshire.

In total, 60 drivers and one child passenger, aged between 3 and 13, were found not to be wearing a seat belt. The other offence related to an appropriate car seat not being fitted for a passenger under the age of 12 or 150m tall.

Mr O’Connell added: “Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads is a priority for the force and our Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners.

“One death or serious injury on our roads is one too many — and so it’s extremely disappointing to still find people choosing to put their lives at risk by not belting up or wearing their seat belts incorrectly.

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“Wearing a seat belt in a vehicle is such a basic piece of road safety advice and could be the difference between life and death in a road collision. Why would you not choose to wear one?

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

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.