Police target speeding, seatbelt offences…and passengers in the car boot

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) coordinated a campaign across Scotland on Friday 1 July 2011, the twentieth anniversary of legislation coming into force making it compulsory for adults to wear seatbelts in the rear of vehicles. Targeting seatbelt, speeding and inappropriate speed offences, the main objective of the campaign was to educate road users, to encourage them to comply with legislation and to protect their safety and that of other road users.

Results

The campaign resulted in the detection of 292 drivers, 44 adult front seat passengers, 15 adult rear seat passengers, two child front seat passengers and two child rear seat passengers not wearing their seatbelt. Further, 295 offenders were detected for driving at excessive speed, with two people reported for dangerous driving and a further 17 detected for careless driving.

Superintendent Alan Duncan from Lothian and Borders Police, the head of the ACPOS National Campaigns said:

“In one day, officers have detected over 600 offences in relation to excessive speed and seatbelt offences. These figures do not include the hundreds of offences that are captured daily through the enforcement work of the Safety Camera Partnerships.

“I am very disappointed that such a high number of motorists continue to disregard the legislation and their own safety, the simple process of using a seatbelt for every journey or travelling at a reduced speed has been proven to reduce the risk of death and injury significantly if you are involved in a collision.

“As we move towards the summer months and busier roads, I would like to warn all road users that officers from every force and staff from the Safety Camera Partnerships will continue to target these offences on a daily basis. Our ultimate aim is to influence driver behaviour and reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads.”

Fife Statistics

In the Fife force area, three people were reported for careless driving. With a further 15 drivers detected not wearing their seatbelt.

Lothian and Borders Statistics

In the Lothian and Borders force area, seven people were caught driving at excessive speed. With a further 13 drivers detected not wearing their seatbelt.

Notable Incidents

One of the more bizarre incidents, in Arbroath, a 35 year old woman was stopped and found to be carrying two passengers in the boot of her car. She was issued with a Conditional Offer for Dangerous Carriage of Passengers.

Further in Central Scotland, a 54 year old man was stopped on the M74 after being caught driving his car at an average speed of 118.2mph in a 70mph limit.

See the full news release here.

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