Wear a seat belt, or pay penalty

The latest road safety campaign comes hot on the heels of the PSNI’s winter anti-drink drive campaign, in which three motorists were caught driving under the influence of alcohol in the Larne area.

Insp John Millar from PSNI’s Roads Policing Unit said: “Seat belts save lives. One death on the road is one too many but already this year there have been eight road deaths across Northern Ireland.

“The law is clear, if you don’t wear your seat belt, or if you allow your children to go unbelted, your driving licence may be at risk. Please also remember that all lorry and delivery drivers, unless medically exempt, must wear a seat belt. Delivery drivers are only exempt for door-to-door deliveries, but cannot travel more than 50 metres between deliveries without wearing a seat belt.”

Insp Millar added: “The vast majority of responsible motorists always wear a seat belt, but we will be focusing on those who don’t over the next month as part of our road safety commitment.”

Breaches of seat belt regulations attract a fixed penalty fine of £60, with three penalty points endorsed on driving licenses. This applies to all drivers who fail to wear a seat belt, carry an unbelted child aged under 14, or carry a child under 12 years and under 135cms tall without proper restraint.

Meanwhile, the PSNI’s recent anti-drink drive campaign caught out 251 drivers province-wide who were unfit to drive, or who were unable or refused to give a sample.