Police across Wales have vowed to crack down on motorists and passengers not wearing seatbelts as part of an All Wales Seatbelt Campaign which began on Monday.

Officers are warning that ‘belting up can save a life’ and they will be monitoring the roads for those ignoring the law.

The first week of the campaign also coincides with a similar Europe-wide campaign by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network.

Inspector Mike Melly, Specialist Operations Inspector, Dyfed Powys Police, said: “Wearing a seatbelt is such a simple, easy thing to do. As police officers, we see the consequences of driving without a seat belt all too often at crash scenes. While you will face a fine if you are caught without your seatbelt on, the key message we are trying to get across is that wearing a seatbelt really could mean the difference between life and death - and that applies just as much to passengers as it does to drivers.”

Police are committed to assisting in reducing casualties on the road through the use of targeted enforcement operations around high risk groups of people and locations while enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences

During the 2015 campaign, 1,257 people across Wales were stopped by police for not wearing their seatbelt. There were 140 in North Wales, 360 in the South Wales Police area, 41 in Gwent and 724 in the Dyfed Powys Police area.

Both drivers and passengers can be fined £100 for not wearing a seatbelt and can be prosecuted. Any child under the age of 14 who is not wearing a seatbelt is the responsibility of the driver and the driver can be fined.

Susan Storch, chair of Road Safety Wales, said: “Wearing a seatbelt and using the correct child restraints is a fundamental part of road safety. Anyone flouting the law is taking an enormous and potentially fatal risk. Partners in Road Safety Wales continue to educate and encourage the public to adhere to the law and we fully support our Police partners in this vitally important all Wales enforcement campaign.”