Seatbelt enforcement checks to take place across Europe this week

Image www.tispol.org

POLICE OFFICERS across Europe will be conducting seatbelt checks throughout the week of 9 to
15 March. Vehicle occupants who do not wear their seatbelt will be issued with a penalty. The action is part of a Europe-wide operation co-ordinated by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network.

 TISPOL President Aidan Reid says:  “Using a seatbelt is a quick and simple task; it’s also a highly effective way of reducing the consequences of a collision. That’s why wearing a seatbelt is not a matter of personal choice, but is compulsory for drivers and passengers in every European country.

“Yet there are still drivers and passengers who for whatever reason do not use a seatbelt.
 “We urge drivers to take responsibility for their own safety and for the safety of their passengers, by ensuring everyone wears a seatbelt on every road journey. After all, the use of seatbelts is the single most effective method of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in motor vehicle collisions.”

Results from a similar operation on September last year show that more than 95,000 drivers and passengers received penalties for not wearing seatbelts. A total of 27 countries took part in the operation. Of the final total of 95,553 detections, 2,944 related to children not wearing seatbelts or other safety restraints.

FATAL 4 Operation Catches 42 Motorists

The FATAL4 ‘clinics’ are designed to reinforce concerns about 

• speeding
• using mobile phones behind the wheel
• not wearing seatbelts
• drink driving. 

On Friday, October 17, officers positioned themselves on the A6 Leicester Road for the latest FATAL4 operation. Some were plain clothes  officers who would radio ahead to uniformed officers to stop people in the checkpoint area

A 42 offences were recorded in total:

• 23 drivers using mobile phones
• 16 not wearing a seatbelt 
• 2 with no insurance
• 1 drink driving arrest.

Sergeant Simon Blincow said
“FATAL4 is an ongoing national operation to try and tackle the main four things that kill people on the roads.We want to influence and educate people because we see the other side of it. We go to the fatal collisions and see the bodies, we deal with the relatives, we see the tragic repercussions, that’s why we are so serious about trying to stop it.”