Children found not wearing seatbelts as police catch 902 drivers committing 'fatal four' offences

Laura Love
·1-min read
902 drivers were found committing offences throughout April.
902 drivers were found committing offences throughout April. -Credit:Brand X Pictures/Getty Images


Over 900 drivers were caught committing offences during a month-long campaign by Cleveland Police.

To raise awareness of the four main causes of fatal road traffic accidents, the Fatal Four Road Safety Campaign targeted people using a mobile phone while driving, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or not wearing a seatbelt. And despite most drivers adhering to road traffic laws, 902 drivers were found committing offences throughout April.

22 drivers were caught using a mobile phone while driving, 71 were found to be under the influence of drugs, 50 were detected under the influence of alcohol, 743 were caught speeding and 16 individuals, including two children under 14, were discovered not wearing a seatbelt.

Roads Policing Inspector Steve Clyburn, from Cleveland Police Matrix Team, expressed his gratitude to those drivers who obey traffic laws for everyone's safety and to reduce fatalities on our roads. He highlighted that the high number of drivers not obeying traffic laws indicates that driver behaviour still needs to change.

Inspector Clyburn emphasised the catastrophic consequences of serious collisions and how simple changes to drivers' behaviour could help prevent them. He warned that the 'fatal four' not only put the driver's life at risk but also the lives of other road users and urged drivers not to take these risks and put lives in danger.

In 2023, road traffic collisions in Cleveland resulted in 805 casualties; ten of these were fatal and 152 were serious. The 'fatal four' was a contributing factor in the majority of these incidents.

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