News

20 April 2010
DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS CONTINUE TO RISK THEIR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN

Hundreds of drivers and passengers were caught yesterday not wearing a seatbelt as ACPOS led a coordinated day of action involving all eight of the country’s police forces.  During the 24-hour campaign, police forces across Scotland caught 360 people breaking the law, risking their lives and the lives of children in their care.

The day of action coincided with the launch of the new national ‘Have You Clicked?’ campaign which seeks to reinforce the importance of wearing a seatbelt. The campaign, part of a number of coordinated campaigns to reduce casualties on our roads, renews the focus on seatbelts as it is estimated that, in Scotland, 1 in 3 people who are killed in vehicles are not wearing seatbelts.  Research also estimates that half of those people could have been saved had they worn a seatbelt.

Chief Constable Kevin Smith at the launch of the
ACPOS Seatbelt Day of Action 19-04-10

In a crash at 30mph, if you are unrestrained, your body will hit anything in front of you, including another passenger or driver, with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own body weight. At the campaign launch in Edinburgh yesterday a specially designed ‘Seatbelt Convincer’ was in action to highlight the force at which drivers and passengers are propelled forward in a sudden stop. The ‘Have You Clicked?’ campaign, which has more than fifty partners, will continue to run in order to raise awareness and encourage drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelt every time. Materials displaying the campaign branding such as stickers and posters will be in and on vehicles, and in workplaces, homes, shops, buildings and other public spaces around the country.

Chief Constable Kevin Smith, the ACPOS Head of Road Policing said:
‘These results once again show that drivers and passengers are failing to listen to the safety warnings. With thousands of people caught every year we anticipated the number could be high – however, this number in one day is deeply concerning. What’s more worrying is that adults are risking the lives of their children and teaching them bad habits by not ensuring they are suitably restrained. The seatbelt is a simple yet vital safety tool and by simply putting it on the risk of being seriously injured in a collision or worse - killed is dramatically reduced.

 ‘Through daily patrols and more coordinated days of action, we will continue to enforce the legal requirement to wear a seatbelt.  I do however hope that by raising awareness through the ‘Have You Clicked campaign?’ we can encourage drivers and passengers to put their seatbelts on and in future we will see a dramatic reduction in the numbers caught and more importantly, a decrease in the numbers killed on our roads.’

FORCE	SEATBELTS					TOTAL
	ADULT			CHILD
	DRIVER	PASS FRONT	PASS REAR	FRONT	REAR
Central	18	2	0	0	0	20
D&G	26	4	0	2	3	35
Fife	6	0	0	0	0	6
Grampian	23	0	0	0	0	23
L&B	14	1	0	1	0	16
Northern	53	3	0	0	0	56
Strathclyde	148	24	4	1	4	181
Tayside	22	1	0	0	0	23
TOTAL	310	35	4	4	7	360

Incidents of note

In the Lothian and Borders force area a 73-year-old male taking his 10-year-old grandson to school who was travelling in the front passenger seat had no seatbelt or restraint.  Enquiries also revealed that the driver had never held a driving licence and that the vehicle was uninsured.  The driver has been reported and the vehicle was seized.

In the Strathclyde force area a 37 year old male was caught and reported for carrying three children all under 5-years-old, un-restrained in the rear seat. A 71 year old male was caught with two children aged 1 and 2 travelling in the rear seat of his vehicle with no seat belts worn or child restraints fitted.  A male was also reported for dangerous carriage after being caught with a 48-year-old male who was sitting unrestrained on a pressurised container to the rear of a small tractor.

For photographs from the campaign launch please contact ACPOS on 0141 435 1240

Also more info www.dontriskit.info/seatbelts