Police shocked as hundreds fined in seatbelts crackdown

NEARLY 400 drivers and passengers have been hit with £30 on-the-spot fines for failing to wear a seatbelt in a police crackdown.

Dozens of officers across the Lothians were ordered to watch out for anyone caught breaking the law during last week's campaign.

On the first day of the blitz, a father caught without a seatbelt in Liberton as he took his daughter to primary school was also found to be over the drink-drive limit.

Police chiefs today said they were "shocked" by the number of people still travelling in cars, vans and taxis without seatbelts.

They said they hoped the volume of fines would help to get the safety message across.

In all, 346 drivers were caught in the force area in the fortnight up until last Friday, along with 38 passengers.

People travelling in cars made up 226 of those caught, while those in vans, lorries and taxis made up the remaining 158.

Two passengers under 14 were also spotted, and the drivers hit with the £30 charge.

The crackdown saw around three times as many people fined as in a regular week.

More than a third of the 31 people killed in crashes in the Lothians and Borders in the last 18 months were not wearing seatbelts. Police say two thirds of these deaths were preventable.

Inspector David Milne, who is leading the safety campaign, said: "I did not expect the figures to be so high - I'm shocked. As a policeman, I'm pleased in a way that these 400 people will go out and spread the word that we'll fine those breaking the law. But as someone seeking to make roads safer, it's worrying that so many people are still willing to take the unnecessary risk.

"The reason for not wearing a seatbelt basically comes down to laziness and thinking that an accident will never happen to them. It's disturbing and it means we'll have to continue with these kind of operations and handing out more fines."

Every frontline officer on patrol was asked to look for anyone failing to belt up as they went about their regular duties.

Van drivers, who are typically amongst the worst offenders, made up the majority of non-car users caught. Only "a few" taxi passengers were fined. The campaign also saw the police display two badly-damaged cars outside Fort Kinnaird Shopping Park and Ikea at Straiton.

Neil Greig, Scottish policy manager for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "If someone does not wear a seatbelt they are undermining every safety feature in the vehicle. Airbags and everything else are designed around the assumption that you have belted up. If you fail to do so, these features are useless."

Drivers and passengers face a maximum £500 fine for not wearing a seatbelt, although usually they are given the option of a £30 fixed penalty.

It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that children under 14 wear belts, and under-threes must use a child restraint.