A EUROPEAN-wide effort to cut down on road deaths and casualties by getting drivers to "buckle up" comes to North Yorkshire from Monday.

The seatbelt crackdown, being run locally under the hard-line road safety campaign Operation Helical, is part of a wider initiative taking place right across Europe.

It has been organised by TISPOL, an organisation established by the traffic police forces of Europe in order to improve road safety and law enforcement.

During the campaign, which starts today (MON), a number of tactics will be used to enforce the use of seatbelts and get a zero-tolerance message across to potential offenders.

Static check points will be set up across the county to carry out random checks of cars. They will be supported by roaming check points which will continuously move around the county's 6,000 miles of roads to catch people unawares.

Deputy Chief Constable Adam Briggs, who is also vice-president of TISPOL said the number of deaths or serious injuries resulting from people's failure to wear a seatbelt was a significant issue for North Yorkshire.

"Refusing to wear a seatbelt is not just illegal, it's also lethal. Even minor road traffic collisions can be fatal if you aren't wearing a seatbelt," he said.

"It doesn't matter whether you're a driver or passenger, taking a quick trip to the shop or a longer journey; it's just not worth the risk to your life and those of others."

He added: "Since the end of July, almost 1,000 people have already been prosecuted across North Yorkshire for seatbelt offences under Operation Helical. That is a totally unacceptable number of people willing to risk their lives and those of others.

"This campaign aims to catch offenders but also to get the message across that we simply will not tolerate the attitude that you don't need to bother buckling up."

Passengers in both rear and front seats will be targeted as well as drivers.

"The maximum penalty for seatbelt offences is a 500 fine so it's not just a dangerous mistake to make, it's can also be very expensive," said Mr Briggs.