Traffic officers in the eastern area of North Yorkshire, which includes Scarborough and Ryedale, were dismayed after checks revealed 39 people hadn’t clunk-clicked.

The Operation Anvil checks were carried out on the A171, between Whitby and Scarborough.

Acting Sergeant Richard Hammond, of Eastern Road Policing Group, said: “Motoring poses many hazards to drivers and passengers, it beggars belief that people can put themselves at further risk by not wearing a seatbelt.

“We are shocked that despite hard-hitting publicity campaigns highlighting the dangers, people are still prepared to risk death and serious injury by not wearing their seat belts.

“It takes seconds to put on a seatbelt, those few seconds could safe your life. Why take the risk? Even minor collisions can be fatal if you don’t belt up. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a driver or passenger, taking a quick trip to the shop or a longer journey; it’s just not worth the risk to your life and those of others.”

Operation Anvil is supported by the 95 Alive York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership and it was launched in March with the aim of reducing death and injury on the county’s roads.

Research shows that people are twice as likely to die in a crash if they are not wearing a seatbelt and almost 300 lives would almost certainly have been saved last year if all car occupants had been wearing a seatbelt.