Hampshire Constabulary share this latest news. Ed
Why would you want to double the chances of dying in a car crash?
That is the question being asked by our roads policing officers as they take part in a national week of action around seatbelt enforcement.
They will carrying out dedicated operations this week, targeting those who refuse to wear a seatbelt despite the clear dangers.
26 died not wearing a seatbelt
Since 2010, 26 people have been killed in Hampshire because they were not wearing a seatbelt when they were involved in a collision.
The facts are indisputable – you are twice as likely to die in a collision if you are not wearing a seatbelt.
The force you will hit the windscreen, or the front seat if you are travelling in the back of a car, is 30 to 60 times your own body weight.
Heard: Still finding people who take the risk
Sgt Rob Heard, Road Safety Sergeant for Hampshire and Thames Valley, said:
“The vast majority of people are wearing their seatbelts, unfortunately we are still finding people who decide to take the risk and travel in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt.
“Unfortunately some people are becoming complacent and feel a collision will never happen to them.
“People sometimes feel I am only driving locally and at a low speed so I will be ok.
“However research has shown that many collisions occur at low speed and within in few miles of home.
“It’s not worth the risk and not wearing your seatbelt means you are breaking the law.”
Also checking child seats
As well as operations, our officers will also be checking child seats to make sure they are fitted correctly.
It has been identified that the majority of car seats across the UK are incorrectly fitted, where two in every three are not fitted properly.
Sgt Heard added:
“This may be contributing to the continuing rise in child road death and injury. If in doubt get your child seats checked by an approved fitter.”
Your Belt, Your Life diversion course
Last year in Hampshire 1,129 seatbelt offences were recorded and 650 of those stopped were ordered to carrying out an online diversion course, Your Belt, Your Life.
Motorists can head to Asda, in Basingstoke, on March 12, between 10am and 3pm, where we will be joined by colleagues from Hampshire County Council offering free checks and advice on child seats.
Our Fatal Four campaign aims to reduce the number of deaths on our roads by highlighting inappropriate speed, seatbelts, drink/drugs and mobiles, encouraging drivers to think about the impact and avoid committing any of these offences.
You can view the short film warning of the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt here:
