WEST Mercia Police are urging all motorists to stay safe and belt up ahead of a national seat belt enforcement operation.

The operation is being run across the UK and coordinated by NPCC, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, to improve seat belt compliance across the UK.

It's being run from June 12 to 25 to ensure motorists are using their seatbelts and child restraints correctly and to crack down on offenders who continue to break the law.

Seatbelt use is such a significant contributory factor with regards to road collisions and the resulting injuries, according to the force.

In the UK it is a legal requirement for drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt, unless they have an exemption and it is the driver’s legal responsibility to ensure that any passenger under 14 years old is using the appropriate child restraint.

Over the past three years in West Mercia, 18 people have been killed and 42 seriously injured in collisions where a seatbelt has not been worn.

Throughout the operation, officers will be out and about in local communities taking part in a mixture of enforcement and educational initiatives.

Superintendent Steph Brighton for West Mercia Police said: “Supporting this national operation with local activities and increased enforcement is an important way of raising the issue and highlighting the dangers of not wearing a seat belt or not using a correctly fitted car seat.

"Seatbelts save lives and help to reduce the severity of an injury, seeing that some people still risk not wearing theirs is of great concern.

"Apart from the obvious consequences if you are involved in a collision, drivers and passengers who fail to wear seatbelts in the front or back of vehicles are breaking the law and face an on-the-spot fine of £100. If the case goes to court, the fine could increase to £500, so we’re urging all motorists to take our advice and ‘Belt up’".