More than a quarter of driver and passengers who were killed in car crashes on Irish roads last year were not wearing a seatbelt, new figures have revealed.
Of the 88 people who died in road incidents last year, in vehicles that were fitted with seatbelts, 24 were not wearing their seatbelt, according to analysis from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
This means that 27% of drivers and passengers who died were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. In a further 30% of cases, it was not established if the road death victims were wearing a seatbelt.
Further data collected from 2017 to 2020 shows that 10% of vehicle occupants who were seriously injured in a crash were not wearing a seat belt.
Separately, results of new attitudinal research of drivers’ attitudes and behaviour by the RSA, found that while 96% of motorists say they always use a seat belt as a driver, this figure drops to 83% when people are travelling in the back seat of a car.
Meanwhile, gardai issued 7,248 fixed charge penalty notices for seat belt offences in 2021, which comes with a fine of €60 and the risk of three penalty points.
The RSA and An Garda Siochana are urging drivers and passengers to always wear a seat belt on every journey as seatbelts have been proven to save lives.
Wearing a seat belt in a collision reduces the risk of death among drivers and front seat passengers by 50% and the risk of death and serious injury among back seat passengers by 25%.
Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD: "If you are over 17, you are legally responsible for wearing your seat belt in a vehicle. While a seat belt won’t prevent a crash, it could save your life if you are involved in a collision. This should be reason enough to wear one. No matter how long or short your journey, always wear a seat belt because as we have heard all too often from survivors of collisions - all it takes is a split second for a crash to happen."
Mr Sam Waide, CEO of the RSA, said: "Seat belts are proven life savers and putting one on before starting a journey is second nature for most of us. Unfortunately, the collision data and our recent attitudinal study shows that there are some who take huge risks by not wearing one.
"I am concerned that only 83% of rear seat passengers tell us they always use a seat belt. Not being restrained in the back seat of a car means that in the event of a collision, you will be thrown around the vehicle at extremely high force, risking serious injury to both yourself and others in the car. Failing to put on your seat belt doesn’t just increase the likelihood of you being killed or seriously injured, it’s a potential killer behaviour. I would argue that not wearing a seat belt is not just dangerous but selfish too. I would ask drivers to always ensure that they and their passengers are wearing their seatbelt before starting a journey."
Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, Roads Policing and Community Engagement, An Garda Síochána added: "Seatbelts save lives. Unfortunately emergency services personnel including Gardaí, continue to arrive at scenes of traffic collisions and witness first-hand the devastating injuries sustained by drivers and passengers because they were not wearing a seatbelt."
