MORE than 2,700 drivers have been fined for failing to wear seatbelts in Kirklees since the start of 2008.

The figures were revealed as calls were made for stricter enforcement and harsher penalties for motorists who refuse to fasten their belts.

According to West Yorkshire Police, the number of fixed penalty notices handed out in the division was 985 in 2008, 1,221 last year and 534 in the first six months of this year.

During the same period, more than 20,000 on-the-spot fines have been issued across West Yorkshire.

A seatbelt offence currently carries a minimum penalty of £60 fixed penalty fine with no endorsable penalty points.

If the case goes to court, this can increase to a maximum fine of £500.

Huddersfield road policing sergeant Paul Denton said in a specific crackdown on the issue two weeks ago, 180 people were given tickets over the course of a week.

He said: "It’s an issue that we take very seriously and we will enforce the law as and when we see people not wearing their seatbelts.

"The evidence shows that people who don’t wear their seatbelts are far more likely to get seriously injured or killed.

"The issue is even more important when it comes to making sure your children wear their seatbelts – then it becomes a matter of how much you value their life."

The AA has called for stricter enforcement of seatbelt wearing and tougher penalties for offenders.

President Edmund King said: "It is astonishing that one third of vehicle occupants killed do not wear seatbelts.

"In the current safety debate, with concerns over road safety funding, there is one thing that could be done overnight to save 300 lives per year at no cost – that is every vehicle occupant to belt up on every journey."

Ellen Booth, campaigns officer for Huddersfield road safety charity Brake, said previous seatbelt campaigns – like the ‘Clunk, click every trip’ public information film fronted by Jimmy Savile in the 1970s – had been effective.

She added: "Targeted campaigns in the past have made a real difference, but there is still a big issue, especially among young people, with wearing seatbelts.

"We would support better enforcement of the current laws, but also better education of young people about the potential consequences of not wearing a seatbelt."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Current seatbelt legislation aims to ensure a balance is struck between an individual’s responsibility to wear a seatbelt and enforcement based on the consequences of not doing so."