10:28am Thursday 11th March 2010
By Tyrone Marshall
NEARLY 100 motorists were stopped in a crackdown on dangerous or irresponsible drivers in Nelson.
Operation Peardrop was designed to give motorists a bitter taste of what life could hold if they don’t amend their driving habits, and largely targets people not wearing seatbelts and those using a mobile phone.
Offending drivers were offered two choices – pay a fine and have three points on their licence, or attend a presentation on driving at Nelson fire station.
Schoolchildren also spoke to drivers to convey the danger they were putting others in.
Of the motorists stopped, 40 opted for tickets, 40 were spoken to by school children and 15 attended the 45-minute presentation.
Neighbourhood policing sergeant Damian Pemberton said: “Some chose to pay the fine which is their choice but a significant proportion opted for the presentation.
“The presentation was very impa-ctive and officers delivering it were front-line officers who regularly deal with traffic collisions so they really knew what they were talking about.
“I am in no doubt that it will prove just as effective, perhaps more so, than a fine and penalty points.”
Between April 2008 and 2009, 969 people were killed or seriously injured on Lancashire’s roads, with a further 6,573 suffering minor injuries.
Steven Morgan, watch manager at Nelson Fire Station, said: “A number of these people would have been spared the misery of these injuries or have completely escaped injury if for example, they had been wearing seatbelts.
“We know from experience that the non-wearing of seatbelts is an issue locally which is why we are initially targeting the Nelson area.”
Last year the Lancashire Telegraph launched a campaign to educate young people and their parents about the importance of belting up, while encouraging passengers and drivers to wear seatbelts however short the journey.
Police will continue to target motorists who continue to break the law.
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