Cops stage week-long crackdown on drivers who flout safety rules

The initiative comes after statistics showing that in 2017 27 per cent of people who died in cars in Britain were not wearing a seatbelt.

The week-long campaign is led by the Road Policing Division with support from the Safety Camera Units, and will have a special focus on the need to wear a seatbelt whether travelling in the front or rear - regardless of the type of vehicle.

There are some exceptions for wearing a seatbelt on a coach, but if one is provided the advice is to wear it.

Recent figures for road casualties in 2018 highlight that driver error or reaction was reported in nearly two thirds of all reported crashes, while travelling too fast was a factor in 16 per cent of fatal crashes.

Driving while using a mobile phone was a factor in five fatal crashes.

Chief Inspector Simon Bradshaw said: “We know that using a mobile phone, driving while distracted, travelling at inappropriate speeds and not wearing a seatbelt are significant factors in fatal and serious injury crashes.

“This is why we take the matter seriously as they are avoidable, which makes it all the more tragic when people are killed in road crashes under these circumstances.

“Police Scotland works closely with other road safety agencies and partners to highlight the importance of driving safely but we cannot do this alone. We need motorists to take road safety seriously and to change their behaviour.

“We will interact with drivers through education to influence behaviour but where necessary, we will take enforcement action.”