MORE than 60 motorists were caught not wearing their seatbelts in just three hours, as part of a road safety crackdown.

Police stopped the drivers at the junction of Southend Road and Sutton Road in Rochford to try to encourage them and passengers to wear seatbelts.

Officers joined up with the Essex Casualty Reduction Board on Wednesday to send out the message.

Adam Pipe, an Essex Police traffic management officer, said one of the reasons behind the blitz was an accident where a driver who was not wearing a seatbelt smashed into a cow and was lucky to escape serious injury. The cow had been hit by another car and was in the middle of the road near Chelmsford.

Mr Pipe said: "The driver's car was launched into the air by the cow and after the car rolled over a few times the driver escaped with just a few scratches.

"It was some time ago, but it was yet another example of why people should wear seatbelts."

On Wednesday the Essex Casualty Reduction Board launched a campaign urging drivers and passengers to put on a seatbelt for every journey they make, no matter how short.

The board says an alarming number of motorists ignore the dangers of not using seatbelts and 218 people were caught in May 2007 in Rochford over three days.

Councillor Norman Hume, chairman of the Essex Casualty Reduction Board, said: "If you are involved in a road accident when not wearing seatbelt you have a greater chance of being seriously injured. Additionally, your chances of receiving compensation could be reduced if you are in a crash, since insurance companies check police accident reports to see if seatbelts were being worn at the time of the incident.

"An accident can happen in a second, even when we are stationary, so we all need to belt up whenever we are behind the wheel."

The current law states drivers who do not belt up will be issued a fixed penalty notice and could face a fine of £30 for any passengers under the age of 14 not wearing a seatbelt in their vehicle.