Essex: Campaign To Highlight Road Safety

Drivers in Essex are continuing to put themselves and others at risk by doing things like talking on their phones while behind the wheel.

That's the message from the County Council as they launch a campaign to improve road safety as part of National Road Safety Week.

Figures released from a number of operations carried out by Essex Police since January 2012 reveal 648 drivers were stopped for using a mobile phone at the wheel and almost 1,500 drivers and passengers were caught not wearing seat belts.

Councillor Derrick Louis, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation said: "It's shocking that such a high number of drivers and passenger don't wear their seatbelts, given that it is a legal requirement and could save their life.

"I hope that those people who attend our education courses have reassessed their driver behaviour and realise that there is no excuse for driving without a seatbelt.

"We will be continuing with these events which provide us with the opportunity to talk to drivers about the most common causes of accidents and make them aware of their driving behaviour. However, road safety is an issue that everyone needs to be aware of and I hope that we can count on the support of road users across Essex."