More than 1,000 motorists caught

SHOCKING statistics reveal today that more than 1,000 motoring offences have been committed since the start of a road safety campaign.

Officers from Suffolk police have been out on the streets to catch the county's offending motorists as part of a ten-week Save A Life campaign, which aims to reduce the numbers of those getting killed or seriously injured on our county's roads.

The campaign was launched at the beginning of September in conjunction with The Evening Star, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Constabulary, Suffolk Safecam, the Highways Agency and the East of England Ambulance Service.

Since the launch, there has been increased enforcement by Suffolk Safecam, and police officers have also been using speed cameras in unmarked vehicles to catch speeding motorists

Between September 1 and October 7, more than 1,100 motorists have been caught. Of those, 742 people were not wearing their seatbelt, 121 drivers were using their mobile phones, and 327 motorists were caught speeding. There have been 157 fixed penalty notices issued for other motoring offences, such as vehicle defects.

The latest figures show that between January 1 and October 10, 2008, there were 299 people killed or seriously injured on Suffolk's roads. In the same period in 2007, there were 226 people killed or seriously injured.

Deputy chief constable Jacqui Cheer said: “These figures speak volumes and show there are still a considerable number of people who use the county's roads unlawfully. To have over 700 people caught not wearing a seatbelt is quite astonishing. It's a simple decision: putting on your seatbelt takes less than 30 seconds, not wearing a seatbelt can lead to serious injury or even death.

“We will continue to target those people who are putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. Using a mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, drink driving and speeding… these offences are not acceptable. This increased enforcement will, we hope, save people's lives.”