"I ALWAYS thought if you had hold of the steering wheel you would be OK."

That was the justification Wantage truck driver Dave Pitts used to give for not wearing a seatbelt.

But after seeing graphic images of the consequences of not buckling up, he has admitted his naivety.

"I did not realise the inertia makes you weigh six times your own body weight," he said. "Now it makes sense."

Mr Pitts, 62, was among motorists attending an education evening in Grove after being caught driving without a seatbelt.

He added: "It has had a big effect on me. I am definitely going to wear a seatbelt from now on.

"I suppose it did shock me. The inertia thing, where you can be thrown out of your motor, really opened my eyes."

Police and Oxfordshire County Council's road safety team set up spot checks on the A417 Faringdon Road, East Challow, on Monday and on the A417 Charlton Road, Wantage, on Tuesday.

In all, 122 people were caught not buckling up and all were given the choice of paying a £30 fine or attending the interactive lecture at Old Mill Hall in School Lane.

Eighty-two drivers accepted the invitation - but only about 30 turned up.

The others willget fixed penalty notices.

Graham Owen, a former police crash investigation officer, showed the drivers images of serious road accidents and challenged excuses for not wearing a seatbelt.

He said: "When people come in I think they are a bit miffed because they have been caught, but by the end of the session I think you can really get through to them.

"The images are not there to shock, but people do not always realise what can happen if you don't have your seatbelt on.

"People think you will go forward through your windscreen, but we showed them that the force will always find a hole and push them through it - be it out the back window or through the doors of the car.

"People are told from a young age they must wear a seatbelt, but no one ever explains why you need to buckle up.

"That is what this is designed to do - open people's eyes."

Removal van driver Gordon Matthews, from Longcot, near Faringdon, was also in the audience after being caught without a belt.

The 45-year-old said: "It has really made it obvious to me why you should wear a seatbelt. The facts and figures definitely hit home."

  • In two hours on Monday morning, our spot check counted 56 drivers and passengers without seatbelts in Botley Road, Oxford.