POLICE say 60 'irresponsible' drivers and passengers have been stopped for not wearing seat belts in the past week with three offences involving children.
North Yorkshire Police have warned offenders are facing a fine of £100. A week long campaign was launched amid rising concern over people not wearing seatbelts. Education sessions were held outside schools to hammer home the safety messages.
Sergeant Tim Wilson said: "Wearing a seatbelt has been a legal requirement for decades. So it’s incredible that we’ve encountered around ten people a day who didn’t use one.
"Several of these cases involved children, which is deeply concerning and totally irresponsible."
He warned research shows that drivers and passengers aged 17 to 34 are the least likely to wear a seatbelt, but they are the ones who are most likely to have a crash. Their chances of dying are two times higher than if they’d worn one.
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