Police warn drivers to '˜belt up' for journeys

POLICE in Hampshire have joined a campaign for drivers and passengers to buckle up.

Until this Sunday, March 18, officers from the Joint Roads Policing Unit will stop vehicles where drivers and passengers are not wearing their seatbelt.

Legally, drivers are responsible for ensuring that suitable safety restraints are worn by all passengers under 14 years old.

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The penalty for being caught not wearing a seatbelt is an on-the-spot £100 fine, or if prosecuted up to £500.

Sergeant Rob Heard, from the Joint Roads Policing Unit for Hampshire and Thames Valley Police, said: ‘The vast majority of people are wearing their seatbelts, but unfortunately we are still finding people who decide to take the risk and travel in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt.

‘You are twice as likely to die in a collision if you are not wearing a seatbelt and in the event of an accident, if unrestrained, you will hit the windscreen, or the front seat in the case of a rear seat passenger, at a force of 30 to 60 times your own body weight.

‘Unfortunately some people are becoming complacent.’

NOT FOR WEBBING