Police in north Oxfordshire are moving up a gear in their campaign to get drivers to wear seatsbelts even on short and slow-moving journeys.

This week police will be patrolling roads in the Banbury area at peak times to spot drivers who are not wearing seatbelts. There is a £30 fine but that will be waived if the guilty drivers agree to attend an education session.

The police say that in crashes at speeds of just 30mph, wearing a seatbelt can mean the difference between life and death.

Casualty reduction officer PC Colin Robey said: "We aim to educate people about the need to wear seatbelts even on short journeys.

"Two thirds of all accidents involving injuries happen on roads with 30mph speed limits or less, with many happening in residential areas. These are just the roads where people think they can risk it and not use their seatbelts."

During the last three years, 515 people in the Banbury area were injured in road accidents -- three died and 60 suffered serious injuries.

Mr Robey added: "The emergency services see terrible injuries time and time again that could so easily have been avoided if people wore their seatbelts."

At the education sessions for drivers caught without seatbelts there will be a series of presentations from the police, county road safety officers, paramedics and a stark message from a car crash victim who survived only because she was wearing a seatbelt.