MORE than 170 fixed penalty notices were dished out to people not wearing their seatbelts, following a week-long campaign by Suffolk police in September.

Suffolk Constabulary’s roads policing unit conducted checks on motorists and passengers throughout Suffolk in support of a Europe-wide TISPOL seatbelt enforcement campaign from September 10-16.

The campaign coincided with an operation to crackdown on lorry drivers who break the law with patrols on the A11, A14 and A12 dual carriageway roads in both Norfolk and Suffolk using an unmarked lorry.

During the campaign, 177 fixed penalty notices were issued, which equates to 25.3 per day.

From the notices issued, 174 were given to adults and three in relation to children – recipients incurred a minimum of an instant �60 fine.

Sergeant Paul Ward of the Casualty Reduction Team said: “The targeted operation on lorry drivers being held during the same week as the TISPOL campaign has obviously resulted in a high amount of Fixed Penalty Notices being issued, however the fact remains the same – too many people are putting their lives at risk by not wearing a seatbelt.

“Last year we saw four fatalities in Suffolk where the driver or passenger was not wearing a seatbelt and their importance should not be underestimated.

“Even on the shortest trips and at low speeds wearing a seatbelt vastly reduces the likelihood of being seriously injured or even killed. It is an effortless task that should be part of a routine before starting up a vehicle and quite simply can mean the difference between life and death.”