Police are advising drivers to not only ensure they are wearing their seatbelts, but they are also wearing them correctly.

The message come as Cumbria police support the national NPCC seatbelt campaign with a week of action beginning on 13th June.

It is a requirement by law to wear your seatbelt or you could be fined up to £500.

You could also face a fine if a child under 14 isn’t in the correct car seat or wearing a seat belt while you’re driving.

For more information on child seats visit – Seat Belts and Child Restraints (think.gov.uk)

Seatbelts are designed to keep people in their seats and to prevent and reduce injuries during a collision.

They work with other safety measures such as airbags and head restraints to reduce the risk of injury and without wearing a seatbelt these also won’t be as effective.

If you don’t wear your seatbelt you are twice as likely to die if involved in a collision.

Wearing your seatbelt correctly

• Wear the seatbelt as tight as possible with no slack
• The lap belt should go over the pelvic region, not the stomach
• The diagonal stop should rest over the shoulder, not the neck.
• Nothing should obstruct the smooth movement of the belt by trapping it

In many vehicles, the height of the top of the seatbelt can be adjusted. If you cannot get the seatbelt to fit over you correctly, as described above, you should try adjusting the height.

Seatbelts should be regularly checked for damage. Common forms of damage to the seatbelt that will reduce its effectiveness in an accident, and lead to it failing an MOT test.

Sergeant Claire Sampson said “Putting on your seatbelt takes seconds, its concerning to see people not wearing a seatbelt in the correct position, or even not at all.

“People are aware of the dangers but put their lives at risk as well as the lives of others in their own vehicle.

“Please wear your seat belt every time you travel in vehicle no matter how far you travel; it could save your life.”

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said: “Wearing a seatbelt does save lives and it is so important that we take the time to plug in – no matter how short a distance you are going.

“Not wearing a seatbelt is one of the fatal four alongside speeding, driving under the influence and distracted driving.

“Anti-social driving and dangerous driving is continuously raised to me by the public – the Police do all they can to enforce the law, but everyone can take steps to help create a safer journey and one of these steps is to wear a seatbelt.

“Everyone wants to get home safely so please think before you drive and wear a seatbelt.”