| All eight police forces north of the border are taking part in speeding and seatbelt awareness day, organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland).
Tayside’s Chief Constable John Vine told the Tele that they were particularly concerned about young drivers putting themselves in danger while trying to look cool.
“With seatbelts in particular, that was something that was brought in during the 1970s to reduce accidents,” said Mr Vine, ACPOS road policing chairman.
“Now we have a new generation of drivers who think it is smart to drive around without seatbelts, so it is important to reinforce the message.
“Today is about raising awareness of these issues and leaving people in no doubt that the police are out there targeting this sort of behaviour day in day out.
“Our message is simple — you could be caught or killed. Don’t risk it.”
Research has shown that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle travelling at 40mph has an 80% chance of being killed. The figure is reduced to 20% if the vehicle is travelling at 30mph.
Wearing a seatbelt will also reduce the chance of being killed or seriously injured — if you are thrown from a car in a crash you are 10 times more likely to die.
Brodie Paterson, consultant with Tayside Trauma Team, said road accidents were a “hidden carnage” across the country.
“We see the effects of inappropriate speed,” said the Ninewells Hospital-based consultant.
“Whether at 30mph in a housing estate or 90mph on a country road, the effects are not random and are predictable. We see unnecessary crashes in the evenings, weekends and during adverse weather.
“The highest risk groups are young male motorists and male motorcyclists, and there is a direct relationship between their risk of crashing and the number of passengers they are carrying.
“Road accidents are a hidden carnage, yet the daily death toll on the roads appears to have little effect on society in general.”
During the course of today, road policing officers and specially trained community police officers were on the lookout for drivers going over the limit or people not wearing seatbelts. It is the first of four such days between now and February 2007, a new approach in an effort to combat the public’s so-called “campaign fatigue.”
Added Mr Vine, “We still get about 300 people killed on Scotland’s roads every year. If there were that many people murdered, there would be national outcry.
“We are cracking down on people who flout the law. It is something we do every day, and with a short, sharp campaign this is a different way of getting the message across.” |
