Police launch safe driving crackdown

POLICE will be out promoting safer driving during a week-long campaign from tomorrow.

Officers will be on the lookout for drivers who risk their own and other road users' safety by using mobile phones, speeding or not wearing a seatbelt.

The campaign to promote safer driving will run from tomorrow until Friday, November 15, and is led by the road policing division with support from the safety camera units.

In particular, officers want to highlight the importance of wearing a seatbelt in the front and rear, regardless of the type of vehicle. They say while there are some exceptions for wearing a seatbelt on a coach or bus, if one is provided it is advisable to wear it.

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."

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.