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ALMOST 100,000 on-the-spot fines have been handed out to motorists who were caught breaking the law in Essex in just one year.

Essex Police handed out fines to 96,807 drivers in 2006 for offences including breaking the speed limit, using a mobile phone, ignoring traffic lights, and driving a defective vehicle, according to data from the Ministry of Justice.

Most of the notices were for speed limit offences, with 60,705 fines handed out, followed by 14,475 drivers caught without wearing a seatbelt, and 6,857 using a hand-held mobile phone while driving.

Nishan Wijeratne, Essex police spokesman, said: "Road safety is one of our top priorities as too many people are needlessly killed or seriously injured through defective vehicles or poor driving.

"We prefer to educate motorists in an effort to improve driver behaviour, but we have no hesitation in enforcing the law if required to hammer home the message."

There were also 39,708 drivers pulled over in Essex and prosecuted in 2006 for driving offences.

These were mainly for speeding offences, with 8,910 court appearances.

1:24am Wednesday 14th May 2008

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