Police adopt Lotus position in battle to promote road safety

The campaign is focusing on the importance of wearing a seatbelt and the illegal use of mobile phones while driving.

Officers from South Yorkshire Police's road policing group were in the shopping centre, along with firefighters, to give out leaflets and let people undergo a breathalyser test or take the wheel on a driving simulator.

Head of road policing in South Yorkshire, Chief Inspector Stuart Walne said: "This campaign focuses upon young drivers, who are more inclined not to wear their seatbelt or be distracted through using mobile phones or other devices such as MP3 players.

"We don't have any plans to use such cars to police the roads in South Yorkshire, however Lotus have kindly loaned the car completely free of charge to South Yorkshire Police to help bring home the important messages about being safe and responsible behind the wheel.

"According to statistics you are twice as likely to die in a crash if your do not wear a seatbelt and research shows that you are four times more likely to crash if you use a mobile phone while driving."