Hadleigh: one day operation sees 50 drivers caught without seatbelts

An Essex Police officer says he is ‘shocked’ after almost 50 drivers were caught not wearing a seatbelt during a recent one-day roads policing operation.

Officers from the force’s Casualty Reduction Section caught 47 drivers without a seatbelt and 25 using a mobile phone at the wheel, during the operation on London Road, Hadleigh last Saturday (16 Sept).

A further five drivers were caught speeding and one, who was found to be driving without insurance, had their car seized under Section 165. Two drivers were found to be driving without a valid MOT and one had a tyre below the legal limit.

The aim of the operation was to reduce crashes and casualties on the county’s roads through a combination of engagement and enforcement.

Matt Hine, operational tasking supervisor at Essex Police’s Casualty Reduction Section, said:

“I’m shocked to see such a large number of drivers not wearing their seatbelts.

“They all completely disregarded their own safety as well as the safety of others and hopefully our engagements with them will enforce the importance of wearing their seatbelts in the future.”

20 September 2017