Seatbelts Are The Difference Between Life And Death
Police officers in Northamptonshire are warning the public that the difference between life and death in a road traffic collision can often be down to whether you are wearing a seatbelt or not.
A two-week-long operation starting on Monday, March 11, will target people who fail to wear their seatbelts while on the roads. Those found to not be wearing one will face further action.
Over the course of the operation, officers from across the Force, including enforcement vehicles, will be out and about across the County, looking for anyone who isn’t belted up.
Every year, seatbelt use in passenger vehicles saves more than 10,000 lives. People not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash and more than 3 out of 4 people who are ejected during a fatal crash die from their injuries.
Seatbelts work in conjunction with other car safety features including airbags – it’s important to wear your seatbelt correctly as intended by the manufacturers.
PC Dave Lee of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team, said: “Wearing a seatbelt in a car is such a basic piece of road safety advice that it amazes me that some people still fail to use one. This also applies to people not wearing their seatbelt correctly.
“For the next two weeks, we will be out and about across the County looking for people who can’t spend five seconds putting their seatbelt on. The penalties people may face can include a fixed penalty fine and in some cases, a court appearance.
“Please take responsibility for your personal safety on the roads – having attended a number of fatal road traffic collisions where people have been ejected from the car following the crash, I can tell you that the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt just aren’t worth contemplating. Please belt up.”
Message Sent By
Jennifer Masters (Police, Digital Communications Officer , Countywide)