Drivers caught in seatbelt crackdown

Date: 22/4/2010

Police have conducted a crackdown in the Scottish Highlands on drivers without seatbelts.

According to the Press and Journal, 56 people were handed fixed penalty fines by Northern Constabulary officers after being caught driving without their seatbelts on.

Police in the area now believe that 14 per cent of adults fail to use their seatbelts every time they enter their vehicle; however drivers do belt up 95 per cent of the time.

One-third of people killed in driving accidents in Scotland are not wearing seatbelts, the newspaper reported.

Laura Fisher, road safety officer for the Northern Constabulary, described the figures as startling and disappointing.

She told the newspaper: "The bottom line is that you should wear a seatbelt regardless of the length of journey you intend to undertake. Seatbelts save lives."

Last week, the government-backed campaign Road Safety revealed that a number of issues concerning vehicle and driver safety are being addressed through its latest Driving for Better Business campaign.