“Your seatbelt can save your life” – this is the important message that Welsh emergency services hope all drivers and passengers will take away from this year’s All Wales Seatbelt Campaign.
From September 7, 2009 Gwent Police will lead the All Wales Seatbelt Campaign warning motorists and passengers that they are risking their lives by not wearing belts and issuing fixed penalty notices to those who choose to flout the law.
The two-week campaign, involving Gwent Police, South Wales Police, Dyfed Powys Police and North Wales Police, will run from Monday September 7, 2009 until Sunday September 20. The first week of the campaign coincides with a similar Europe-wide campaign by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network.
Teaming up with Capita Symonds and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the police-led campaign will focus on education, to raise awareness of the dangers and possible consequence of not wearing a seatbelt, and enforcement.
Officers will be out on the roads stopping and fining drivers and passengers of all ages not wearing seatbelts.
Motorists and passengers who chose to risk their lives by not taking the simple step of wearing a seatbelt could receive a Fixed Penalty Notice – the price of which has recently doubled from £30 to £60 – or be summonsed to court where they could face fines of up to £500.
As an alternative to prosecution, motorists and passengers will be given the opportunity to attend a showing of a film on the dangers of not wearing seatbelts
2866 people were caught not wearing seatbelts in the 2008 campaign which ran between September 8 and 21.
Gwent Police Roads Policing Inspector Lee Ford said:
“We run seatbelts campaign every year and although the majority of people understand the risk they face by not wearing a seatbelt there are those who continue to ignore the dangers.
Seatbelts can be the difference between life and death and every year in Wales people die needlessly because they are not wearing them.
We are determined to target the problem. There will be a particularly strong emphasis on seatbelt use during the two-week campaign, but education and enforcement will continue all year round.
By taking the simple step of fastening their seatbelts drivers and passengers can significantly increase their chances of survival in a collision. The extra care and couple of seconds to click it into place is undeniably worth it.”
Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Kevin Barry, from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service added:
“Like all Emergency Service workers, Firefighters attend road traffic collisions every day, and have to deal with horrendous and disturbing scenes. We welcome this chance to join our policing colleagues in emphasising how important it is to use your seatbelt – it could save your life”.
