The initiative is part of a European-wide campaign organised by TISPOL (Traffic Information System Police). As part of the campaign, the South Yorkshire Police Roads Policing Unit will be carrying out dedicated operations at known casualty hotspots across the county. The operations will focus on a number of road safety issues such as mobile phone usage as well as seatbelt enforcement.

In 2007, of the 1,432 car occupants killed in the UK, research indicates that 34% were not wearing a seat belt. Nearly 300 lives would almost certainly have been saved in 2007 if all car occupants had been wearing a belt: roughly one life a day.

Chief Inspector Andy Male said: “You are twice as likely to die in a crash if you don’t wear a seatbelt. It can mean the difference between life and death and it astonishes me that some people continue to risk their lives by not belting up.

"Putting on your seatbelt should be part of your routine before even starting your car and drivers should be responsible for ensuring that all passengers are wearing seatbelts”.