European and national legislation exists so that all occupants of a vehicle must wear their seatbelt, or in the case of small children an approved restraining device, wherever they are seated in a vehicle.
Wearing a seatbelt is a requirement in all kinds of vehicles including trucks and buses. Not wearing a seatbelt can greatly increase the risk of sustaining serious injury in a collision and it is recognized that not wearing a seatbelt is responsible for many 1000's of deaths on the road.
In a collision, occupants can be thrown against the inside of the vehicle, against other occupants or even out of the vehicle.
By the simple act of putting on a seatbelt in a vehicle, injuries in collisions can be dramatically reduced.
ROADPOL Operation Seatbelt is undertaken for one week per year when ROADPOL members are asked to enforce this offence to improve road safety for all vehicle occupants. Despite the fact that more and more drivers and occupants of cars use the seat belt, checking the seat belt remains an important task for the police. European Traffic Police Services understand therefore the necessity of enforcement of this offence, which is undertaken not only in the ROADPOL action but continually throughout the year.
