More than 12 per cent of the people killed on Nottinghamshire’s roads over the last four years were not wearing a seatbelt, police have reported.
The revelation comes as police forces across the country take part in three weeks of action to remind people of the importance of wearing seatbelts – and the potential consequences if they don’t.
Since 2018, 93 people have been killed on Nottinghamshire’s roads. Twelve of them were not wearing a seatbelt.
A further 45 people suffered serious injuries in collisions where seatbelts were not worn, with 174 more people slightly injured in road traffic collisions whilst unrestrained.
Although it is not possible to accurately gauge the number of people who travel in vehicles without wearing a seatbelt, officers believe far too many people are still taking the risk.
Last year 529 people were caught and fined for not wearing a seatbelt. That compares to 481 recorded seatbelt offences in Nottinghamshire during the previous calendar year.
Many of those caught and fined are young people under the age of 25.
During a nationwide enforcement and education programme by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, officers in Nottinghamshire will be supporting the seat belt campaign by proactively targeting motorists who break the rules.
Chief Inspector Simon Allardice, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “People have been obliged to a wear seatbelts for a very long time in this country and the evidence of their effectiveness is overwhelming.
“You are, to put it bluntly, twice as likely to die in a collision if you are not wearing one. You are also far less likely to be seriously injured or cause serious injury to your fellow passengers, if securely belted.
“All too often our officers are not only seeing and speaking to people who are not wearing seatbelts; they are also attending fatal and serious collisions where the simple act of wearing a seatbelt could have avoided death or serious injury.
“For the sake of an action that takes only a couple of seconds this is just incredibly sad. There are many good things we get to do as police officers, but one of the worst is having to tell somebody that their loved one has died in a road traffic collision.
“And ultimately that is what this campaign is all about – reducing death and serious injury on our roads and keeping those awful conversations to an absolute minimum.”
It has been compulsory for drivers to wear a seatbelt since 1983, and since 1991 for passengers. People who fail to adhere to the rules can face fines of up to £500.
National figures released by the NPCC reveal that:
•Men are more likely to not wear a seatbelt than women
•16 – 25 year-olds are most likely to be killed or seriously injured when not wearing a seatbelt
•Most serious incidents happen at night
•Most serious incidents happen when drivers are impaired by drink or drugs.
