HUNDREDS of ignorant drivers are risking life and limb by taking the wheel while using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt, shock new figures show.

South Worcestershire police have clamped down on a huge rise in the numbers and told car users to belt up and shut up or face on-the-spot fines.

They say seven people lost their lives in this part of the county in 2003/04 because they were not wearing a seatbelt-- that is half of all road deaths, up from about a fifth three years ago.

But a police crackdown - which began later last year - appears to be taking affect with none of the 15 road deaths in 2004/05 having been as a result of drivers or passengers not wearing seatbelts.

Crime figures for May showed 145 drivers were caught using a mobile phone compared to 34 last May. A total of 334 were found not wearing a seat belt last month, up from 125 in 2004.

Mike Digger, traffic management adviser for south Worcestershire police, said the numbers are inflated following the police focusing on fines but believes complacency is on the rise.

"The key issue is if you choose to use a mobile phone or not wear a seatbelt when driving you are putting yourself at risk," he said.

"You only have to see one incident where someone has gone through a windscreen because they haven't been wearing the belt and you will never do it again.

"People are becoming more complacent as vehicles become safer. Secondary safety features built into modern cars, such as side impact bars and air bags, are incredibly high compared to 10 years ago."

Julie Bolton, head of retail at the Worcester News, learnt her lesson after being given a £30 penalty when police caught her without a seatbelt while she was driving in Welland, near Malvern.

"If I hadn't been fined I would have carried on as normal," said the 25-year-old. "Sometimes I didn't wear a seatbelt depending on how far I had to go, though I do wear it all the time now."

Mr Digger said he was confident the problem was being tackled successfully as shown by the 'significant reduction' in deaths in the south of the county which had already been indicated.