MOTORISTS across West Mercia are being urged to stay safe and belt up ahead of the launch of a national seat belt enforcement campaign.
West Mercia Police have made the plea ahead of a UK-wide two week campaign (June 13 to June 26) coordinated by NPCC, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, to improve road safety and law enforcement.
Motorists will be encouraged to use their seatbelts and child restraints correctly while there will be a crackdown on offenders who continue to break the law.
Seatbelt use is such a significant contributory factor with regards to road collisions and the resulting injuries. In the UK it is a legal requirement for drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt, unless they have an exemption and it is the driver’s legal responsibility to ensure any passenger under 14 years old is using the appropriate child restraint.
Over the past three years in West Mercia 15 people have been killed and 50 seriously injured in collisions where a seatbelt has not been worn.
Throughout the campaign officers will be out and about in local communities taking part in a mixture of enforcement and educational projects.
Supt Steph Brighton said: “Supporting this national campaign with local activities and increased enforcement is an important way of raising the issue and highlighting the dangers of not wearing a seat belt or not using a correctly fitted car seat.
“Seatbelts save lives and help to reduce the severity of an injury, seeing that some people still risk not wearing theirs is of great concern to us.
“Apart from the obvious consequences if you are involved in a collision, drivers and passengers who fail to wear seatbelts in the front or back of vehicles are breaking the law and face an on-the-spot fine of £100.
“If the case goes to court, the fine could increase to £500, so we’re urging all motorists to take our advice and ‘Belt up’.