NEW figures show almost a quarter of all people killed on Lancashire's roads in the past two years were not wearing their seatbelts.

The statistics have spurred a new campaign by Safer Lancashire, which uses the real story of Samlesbury dad Rick Pilkington, to drive home a life-saving message.

Rick, a musician in the band Blackheart, walked away from a major accident on the M6 because he had been wearing his seatbelt, but the story could have been much different. Only a month earlier, he had been stopped by a police officer for not wearing a seatbelt.

He said: "I was stopped by PC Dave Dunn. He gave me a £60 fine, but he also spoke to me about my actions. Through his personality and approach, he persuaded me to change my ways.

"Just four weeks later, I was involved in an accident on the M6 involving my van and an articulated lorry. The van flipped, jumped the hard shoulder and rolled onto its side.

"Amazingly, as I crawled out through the wrecked windscreen, the person that greeted me was PC Dunn. Quite simply, without wearing my seatbelt I wouldn't be here today."

A video of Rick speaking about his experiences has been posted to YouTube, and an advertising campaign urging drivers to belt up will run across the county, particularly targeting men aged 25 to 34.

Research showed that a key factor in persuading people to wear a seatbelt was realising their children were copying them, so the campaign will include imagery of a typical dad not wearing a seatbelt, being copied by his two-year-old son.

Chief Inspector Debbie Howard said: “It is evident from our observations and from injuries suffered in collisions, that too many people still don’t wear their seatbelts.

“It’s an offence that is viewed as trivial to many, however, in that moment when you need it, a seatbelt will make the difference between being able to walk away from a crash or suffering just a minor injury to one that is life-threatening or life changing as Rick’s case clearly illustrates.”