Police stop 95 drivers during campaign urging public to always wear a seatbelt

Warwickshire Police stopped 95 drivers during a national campaign between Monday 24 May and Sunday 13 June 2021 urging the public to always wear a seatbelt as it could save your life.

Seventy Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) were issued to drivers and passengers for failing to wear a seatbelt and 25 people were given words of advice.

TORs were given to drivers who are responsible for ensuring that anyone under the age of 14 in the vehicle wears a seat belt or uses an appropriate child restraint as required by law, and to passengers over the age of 14 who are themselves responsible for wearing a seatbelt. This included 2 children who were found not wearing appropriate child restraints.

The campaign also resulted in the arrest of a man who was wanted, the arrest of a disqualified driver whose vehicle was also seized and the arrest of a suspected drug driver.

Of the 95 drivers stopped, 46 were in cars, 47 were in vans and 2 were HGV drivers. The vast majority – 86 were male with only 9 female drivers stopped for not wearing seatbelts. Only 6 drivers were under 25 years of age which is encouraging.

During the campaign police and partners asked drivers and passengers to please all make it a habit to check everyone in the vehicle is wearing a seatbelt as it could save a life.

Sergeant Shaun Bridle said “The results of this campaign clearly show why officers will continue to proactively look for anyone not wearing a seatbelt in any vehicles. Its disappointing to see so many over 25’s driving without a seat belt being worn, and in particular van drivers.”

“Seatbelts save lives, it’s as simple as that and that’s why we are asking friends and family to look out for each other by checking each other’s seatbelts. Please make this a habit. National statistics tell us you are twice as likely to die in a collision if you are not wearing your seatbelt so you really could be saving a life.“

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, added: “It is shocking that, despite all of the clear evidence of how a seatbelt keeps you safe, there are still people who travel in a vehicle without wearing one. It underlines why a policing operation of this kind is needed and why road safety remains one of my key priorities.

“The fact that two people were found with incorrect restraints for their child is clearly also concerning. Many people are shocked to find out that they have not fitted their child’s seat safely or that the restraints they are using are not providing the right level of safety. That’s why I’ve funded officers and staff from Warwickshire Police to become accredited to national standards in the fitment of child car seats, so that we can continue to educate the public and hopefully see a reduction in these numbers, ultimately leading to better safety for all.”

Officers are always on the lookout for people not wearing seatbelts because drivers and passengers who fail to wear seat belts in the front and back of vehicles are breaking the law and putting lives at risk.

As a driver you may get a fine of £500 and three penalty points for not wearing your seat belt. If you are carrying a child under 14 without the proper restraint you are liable for a fine of £500 and three penalty points.

During the campaign police and partners used the hashtags #StandingUpForBeltingUp on @WarksPolice and @OPUWarks

Full details of the UK legal requirements for seat belts can be found at https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/overview.

Additional information
Whilst most people wear a seatbelt every trip, during 2020 (the pandemic lockdown with restricted travel) :

• Warwickshire Police issued 237 fixed penalty notices to drivers and passengers for failing to wear a seat belt.
• 25 drivers had children in the car not appropriately restrained. Ten children were under 3 years old.
• 12 rear seat passengers and 16 front seat passengers received fixed penalty notices for not wearing a seatbelt.