THAMES Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary’s joint operations roads policing unit is lending its support to the National Police Chiefs Council’s seatbelt campaign.
While drivers have been required to wear a seatbelt since 1983, and passengers since 1991, statistics released in 2019 by the Department for Transport showed that nearly one in 20 drivers didn’t wear seatbelts, rising to nearly one in ten passengers.
Between Tuesday, May 31, and Monday, June 13, the NPCC is undertaking enforcement operations, meaning roads policing units will be performing extra educational and enforcement duties.
Road Safety Sergeant Dave Hazlett, said: “Wearing a seatbelt is the law, it is not a choice, and it saves lives.
“Our Roads Policing officers have seen first-hand the devastating consequences that can result from not wearing a seatbelt.
“Research has shown that many collisions happen at a low speed, within a few miles of home and that if you are involved in a collision and are not wearing a seatbelt, you could hit the windscreen at a force of 30 to 60 times your body weight.
“Please wear a seatbelt every journey, it is not worth the risk.”
The campaign is run yearly by the NPCC to encourage and enforce the use of seatbelts, promoting driver and passenger safety.
