Drivers warned: Belt up or else; POLICE GET TOUGH ON MOTORISTS.Byline: By CARL BUTLER MOTORISTS across North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. are being urged to belt up or face the "consequences". As a campaign was launched in Wrexham yesterday three motorists were caught without seat belts in just 15 minutes. The reminder is part of a TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) seat belt campaign. It will target drivers and passengers who fail or refuse to wear one. Police officers began Spot and Stop patrols on roads across the region this week and are already spot-checking drivers on Wrexham's streets. Throughout the education and enforcement campaign, officers like PC Robbie Lloyd use their discretion to issue a pounds 30 fixed fines or a warning. The campaign's main purpose is to make motorists understand wearing a seat belt can mean the difference between life and death in a collision. PC Lloyd is part of a team where a plain clothes spotter signals to an officer further ahead to pull up a motorist. Three motorists in 15 minutes were stopped yesterday. One included a taxi driver taxi driver n → taxista m/f taxi driver taxi n → chauffeur m de taxi taxi driver taxi n → who would be exempt if he had been carrying passengers. But with no customer in the car he paid the penalty. PC Lloyd said: "Survival chances are greatly increased if you wear a seat belt. We stopped 12 motorists earlier today, the majority were commercial van drivers. Police officers see the gruesome consequences of someone who's been in a collision and was not wearing a seat belt." There are at least four deaths a year in North Wales which could have been prevented if a seat belt were worn. Fifty drivers a month are still caught and six per cent of all motorists regularly flout flout v. flout·ed, flout·ing, flouts v.tr. To show contempt for; scorn: flout a law; behavior that flouted convention. See Usage Note at flaunt. v.intr. the law. Inspector Karl Rathbone is leading the region's campaign. He said: "Statistics show a need to concentrate on preventing people, particularly young drivers who are most at risk of being involved in serious collisions, from being killed or seriously injured Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) is a standard metric for safety policy, particularly in transportation and road safety. As the name implies it is the total figure for people killed or seriously injured over a period of time. . It's easy to provide statistics but the reality is brought home when my staff have to attend some really awful and unnecessary collisions and then have to knock on Noun 1. knock on - (rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul) rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball the door of those left behind with a message that's not only difficult to give but unimaginably difficult to receive." carlbutler@dailypost.co.uk CAPTION(S): PC Robbie Lloyd stops drivers who are not wearing seatbelts on the outskirts of Wrexham as part of a two week campaign to make people aware of the dangers. Picture: VICTORIA TETLEY |
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