IRRESPONSIBLE drivers in Ipswich who failed to wear a seatbelt made up a third of all motoring offences in Suffolk in the last month, it emerged today.

IRRESPONSIBLE drivers in Ipswich who failed to wear a seatbelt made up a third of all motoring offences in Suffolk in the last month, it emerged today.

As revealed in The Evening Star on Saturday, it was revealed that a staggering 900 offences were committed across the county within the first four weeks of our road safety campaign, Save A Life.

Suffolk Police have deployed officers across the county as part of a crackdown on driving offences, such as failing to wear a seatbelt, speeding and using a mobile phone.

However, it has now been revealed in a breakdown of figures for Ipswich that there was a total of 351 seatbelt offences committed during that period. The majority were committed by those aged 25 to 39.

Speeding was the second biggest motoring crime, with 74 offences recorded.

Inspector Alex Morrison, of the roads policing unit, said: “I cannot understand how anyone can drive a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt. It might be habit or they will say they were only going a short distance, but there is no excuse.

“If I was in a car without a seatbelt on, I would feel vulnerable. The difference of wearing one can be between getting a serious or minor injury.

“I was shocked at the number of seatbelt offences. I want to send a message to employers to make sure their employees are aware that passengers have to wear seatbelts, too.

“They have got to be responsible for their safety.”

The figures for Ipswich also reveal that 40 people were caught using a mobile phone, there were ten offences of driving without an insurance or licence, and 45 offences for having faults with vehicles, including defective tyres.

Insp Morrison added: “I hope, with time, that we see an improvement, in terms of the way people are behaving.

“I am hoping that the message is filtering through.”

The Evening Star, alongside Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Constabulary, Suffolk Safecam, the Highways Agency and the East of England Ambulance Service, has launched a ten-week Save a Life campaign to reduce the numbers of those getting killed or seriously injured on our county's roads.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the shocking statistics surrounding the amount of accidents on Suffolk's roads, which could be so easily avoided by just thinking before getting behind the wheel.

Have you been a victim of an accident after not wearing a seatbelt? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.