Police crack down on driving offences

The new initiative, which began on September 5, will see fixed penalty notices issued for failure to wear a seatbelt, using a mobile phone while driving and exceeding the speed limit.

All of the offences attract a £60 fine and three penalty points.

D District Superintendent for Community Safety, Ryan Henderson said: “So far this year across D District, seven people have lost their lives on our roads - two more than this period last year. Sadly most, if not all of these deaths, could have been prevented.

“It is important that the PSNI, in partnership with the community across Antrim, Carrickfergus, Lisburn and Newtownabbey, do all that is necessary to make people understand that their actions can have serious consequences.”

He added: “The PSNI ,along with our partner agencies, has utilised considerable resources to educate the community about road safety. This work will continue, however we also need to make sure unsafe drivers are held accountable and at times this will mean an increased focus on enforcement.

“This is about keeping the public safe. The increase in deaths on our roads is something we should all be worried about, but more importantly, is something we can all do something about. The importance of wearing seatbelts, not answering your mobile phone and driving within the speed limit cannot be overestimated. We all need to take responsibility for making our roads safer.”