Merseyside Police will be supporting a national seat belt campaign that commences today, Monday 11th March.


The two week campaign will see the Force conducting increased levels of enforcement to address one of the so called ‘fatal’ four’ causes of road death in Great Britain. Nationally, of the 787 vehicle occupants who died in 2017, 212 were not wearing seat belts. This represents a 7% rise on 2016 figures and indicates that non-seat belt use is increasing.


Last year (2018) in Merseyside, 2962 seat belt-related offences were detected including 2,245 drivers, 502 passengers and 127 offences relating to children being unrestrained or not carried in a correct child seat. 2019 drivers completed an online educational course for the offence.


Chief Inspector Tony Jones from Matrix Operations said “Whether a driver or a passenger in a vehicle, using seat belt greatly improves your chance of avoiding serious injury or death in the event of a crash. Our officers enforce this particular offence all year round but we will be re-doubling our efforts during the next two weeks. I would particularly appeal to parents carrying babies and young children in vehicles to ensure that they are securely fastened inside the vehicle, using the correct child seat where appropriate.”


Paul Mountford from the Safer Roads Unit said “Modern car manufacturers invest millions into their making their vehicles as safe as possible. Air bags are a ‘secondary restraint system’ (SRS) and will only be effective if a seat belt is worn.


“It only takes a matter of seconds to ‘buckle up’ but injuries caused by not wearing a seat belt may be life-changing”.

Merseyside Police tells us that cuts to budgets mean that that cannot prevent gun and knife crime, but they don’t seem to have a problem finding Officers for an increase in detecting seat belt offences. No wonder this Country’s in the state it’s in.

Surely there isn't anyone whose life can't be enhanced by going headfirst through a windscreen?

I so admire those people who rig up their seatbelts so they appear to be wearing their belt, but aren't really. Jolly well done

And my sympathies to those whose lives are so busy they cannot spare the seconds needed to put on the belt before they drive off, and then have to perform acrobatics to so while actually driving.

Surely everyone wears a seatbelt nowadays? It's just second nature! If people aren't using them, it's their own lookout and I agree that police resources could be better used.

Friggin nanny state ffs

Originally Posted by K-T

Surely everyone wears a seatbelt nowadays? It's just second nature! If people aren't using them, it's their own lookout and I agree that police resources could be better used.

Have a good look and you will realise it's far from universal.
Some simply ignore it and others do this rigging of the belt , usually passing underneath them to appear to be using the belt.
And no, it's not just up to them. If people don't use them, they greatly increase their chances of serious injury in a collision. And if they suffer such injury they use our scarce NHS resources , and quite possibly become benefit claimants- which you and I pay for.
Then there's the effect on dependants.
And of course, the rest of us also pay for their thoughtlessness through our insurance premiums.

Is it 1982?

Clunk Click Every Trip?

Perhaps not...