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Leicestershire safety camera vans deployed for seatbelt checks in pilot scheme
Overview
Leicestershire Police are launching a week-long pilot scheme using safety camera vans to monitor drivers and passengers who are not wearing seatbelts. Individuals detected during the trial will receive warning letters highlighting the risks rather than facing prosecution. The initiative comes in response to a rise in road casualties, with 30 deaths recorded on the region's roads in the first eight months of 2026 compared to 20 during the same period in the previous year.
Key points
- Leicestershire Police safety camera vans are being used to check for unbelted drivers and passengers in a week-long pilot scheme.
- People caught during the trial will receive warning letters instead of facing prosecution.
- The initiative follows an increase in road fatalities, with 30 deaths recorded in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland during the first eight months of 2026.
- Police will review the findings after the monitoring period to determine if seatbelt detection becomes a permanent enforcement strategy.
- Failing to wear a seatbelt is classified alongside speeding, drink and drug driving, and mobile phone use as one of the 'fatal five' driving offences.