Scary statistics on Northamptonshire drivers who don't get their kids to belt up

More than 2,000 drivers were caught without a seatbelt in Northamptonshire last year.

And, even more frighteningly, 25 of the 126 fixed penalty fines issued for passengers not belting up were for CHILDREN.

Police released the shocking statistics as part of a Belt Up campaign aimed at driving home the message that seatbelts save lives.

In all, 2,394 seatbelt offences were detected across Northamptonshire during 2020 and PC Dave Lee of the Force Safer Roads Team admitted: “Having attended a number of fatal road traffic collisions where people have been ejected from the car, the consequences of not wearing a seat belt just aren’t worth contemplating.

“By not wearing one, you’re 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle and twice as likely to die from injuries as a result of a collision. So please take responsibility for your personal safety on the roads and belt up!

"We all have a responsibility to set a good example to our children — yet in this county last year, we issued a total of 25 fixed penalty notices to motorists as a result of a child aged 3-13 years not wearing a seat belt in the rear of a vehicle.

“It's such a basic piece of road safety advice and could be the difference between life and death in a road collision."

Not wearing a seat belt is one of the main contributors and is one of the "fatal four" driving offences alongside drink or drug-driving, speeding and using a mobile phone at the wheel.

Anyone caught not wearing a seat belt can take an online education course or receive a fixed penalty fine of £100. If they elect to go to court, the fine increases to a maximum £500.