ROADS policing officers who stop-checked cars at two sites in Basildon found more than 100 motorists were driving without a seatbelt.

Officers from Essex Police's casualty reduction section and the roads policing unit were based in East Mayne and Great Oaks on Tuesday, May 3, to help reduce motoring offences and detect criminals on the roads.

The officers used motorbikes and an automatic number plate recognition van to investigate vehicles.

Some 110 drivers were found to be not wearing a seatbelt and 19 others were using their mobile phone at the wheel.

Each driver was fined and referred onto an awareness course.

Two drivers were arrested upon being stopped after checks revealed they were wanted by police forces across the country.

A 23-year-old man from Billericay was wanted by Cheshire Police and was subsequently arrested and a 20-year-old man from Wolverhampton was wanted by Sussex Police.

Two drivers had their vehicles seized after being found driving without valid insurance and ten drivers were stopped because their vehicles did not hold a valid MOT certificate.

Three drivers were given notices to repair defects on their cars within 14 days and two vehicles were stopped for having illegal number plates.

One driver was dealt with for careless driving, two drivers failed to stop at a red traffic light and one driver was found to have contravened a No Entry area.

One driver was stopped for driving a car that was in a dangerous condition, another driver was stopped for driving his vehicle with defective tyres and one car was stopped for illegal tinted windows.

Two drivers of commercial vehicles were stopped and found to have exceeded their Drivers Hours.

Sgt Dave Rudd from our Casualty Reduction Section said: “This operation is run on a regular basis throughout the county and every week I am disappointed to see that a number of people are still failing to wear a seatbelt for reasons I cannot understand.

“It is 50 years since the first law on wearing seatbelts was passed yet people are still putting their lives at risk by failing to buckle up. Seatbelts are there for your own safety and it is disappointing that people don’t think about the possible consequences of their actions.

“If you are involved in a road traffic collision, you are twice as likely to die if you do not wear a seatbelt. And just one person not wearing a seatbelt can be thrown around with enough force to kill or seriously injure other people within the car.

“Please buckle up. Such a simple task could save your life."

Anyone with information about drivers flouting rules on the road can call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.