The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has urged drivers and passengers to wear seat belts on every journey following the results of a survey which has highlighted a decrease in seat belt wearing rates.
The RSA today (Monday, June 17) published the results of an “observational study” which suggested there has been a 4% decrease in seat belt wearing rates among drivers and a 5% decrease among front seat passengers.
The study, conducted in September and October 2023, observed seat belt use in 157 sites across all 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland.
According to the RSA as part of the study observational data of seat belt wearing rates among vehicle occupants in both the front and rear seats was gathered.
The observational procedure involved trained observers standing at the roadside and noting the rate of seat belt usage among occupants of passenger cars and goods vehicles as they passed the site.
A student survey was also conducted at locations close to primary and secondary schools.
Seat belts
A total of 95% of drivers observed as part of the 2023 study were wearing a seat belt, which represented a decrease of 4% when compared to the result of the 2022 study.
This, according to the RSA, is the lowest rate recorded for drivers since the 2018 study.
However 95% of rear passengers observed as part of the 2023 study were wearing a seat belt, and this “continues a recent upward trend amongst this particular vehicle occupant”.
However the study also highlighted that the number of people wearing a seat belt among rear-seat passengers on rural roads remained lower at 92%.
In addition to the RSA research the 2023 European E-survey of Road Users’ Attitudes (ESRA) has also indicated that there are “concerning levels of non-seat belt wearing” in Ireland.
Data collected from 901 users in Ireland for this survey showed that one in ten (10%) reported driving without wearing a seat belt at least once in the last 30 days, as did those travelling in the front seat.
One in five (18%) also reported travelling without wearing a seat belt in the back seat.
RSA
According to the RSA its analysis of Irish collision data shows that 22% of car users who were killed between 2019 to 2023 were not wearing a seat belt.
It also highlighted that 7% of car users who were “seriously injured” during this period of time were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.
Minister for State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers, said today that the first safety rule for anyone who is either a driver or a passenger in a car is to “ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened”.
“It is a very real risk and potential killer behavior which increases the likelihood of a driver or passenger being killed or seriously injured.
“Seatbelts save lives, and choosing not to wear one is not only dangerous, but selfish too,” the minister said.
The RSA has today launched a new advertising campaign urging drivers to remind their passengers to wear seat belts.
The chief executive officer of the RSA, Sam Waide said that wearing a seat belt can make the difference between surviving a collision or not.
Waide added: “They are proven life savers.
“They protect both those who wear them, and other people in the vehicle, as an unbelted person can impact with and seriously injure others in the event of a collision.
“It is alarming to see this decline in usage. It is a huge risk to not wear one, whether your journey is short or long, or requires multiple stops.”