POLICE Scotland will be targeting speeding motorists, those on their phone and those not wearing seatbelt as part of a campaign that starts today.

The week-long campaign runs from Monday, February 11, until Sunday, February 17, and will be run by the Road Policing Division, with support from safety camera units, which will deploy mobile camera units across the country.

Officers will be looking out for speeding motorists, and for drivers using mobile devices, and a particular emphasis will be on those drivers and passengers not wearing a seatbelt.

The campaign coincides with the publication of an observational survey by Transport Scotland and the Department for Transport comparing seat belt and mobile phone use in 2017 to that recorded in 2014.

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This shows an overall increase of mobile phone use by drivers, up from 1.6 per cent in 2014 to 2 per cent at moving (free-flowing) sites and from 1.7 per cent in 2014 to 2.5 per cent at stationary (traffic light-controlled junction) sites.

The observers also saw an increased wearing of seatbelts, up from 96.4 per cent to 97.3 per cent by all drivers although the rate for car rear seat passengers declined from 99 per cent to 98.4 per cent.

Chief Inspector Darren Faulds, of Police Scotland's Road Policing Division, said: "It is estimated that one in three people killed in vehicles were not wearing a seat belt, and half of those could have been saved if they had worn one, which is why we take this matter so seriously.

"Last autumn we ran a similar campaign where we detected 36 drivers not wearing a seatbelt. Such detections were disappointing considering the compulsory wearing of seatbelts came into force many years ago, so officers will undertake enforcement activity and road side education with a view to influencing driver behaviour and casualty reduction.

"Police Scotland is committed to making our country's roads safer by achieving the Scottish Government's 2020 casualty reduction targets, and works collaboratively with partners to reduce road casualties.

"We will interact with drivers through education to influence their behaviour, but where appropriate, we will enforce these core road traffic offences with the appropriate penalties, so my message to all drivers is quite clear #dontriskit".