Anyone travelling in a car, whether driving or as a passenger, is being urged to buckle up.
The message comes from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) as it launches its latest campaign aimed at increasing seat belt compliance across Ireland, particularly among rear seat passengers.
The RSA’s most recent study of seat belt wearing rates showed 94 percent of drivers and front seat passengers comply, compared to 89 percent of rear seat passengers.
Looking at 867 fatal collisions between 2008-2012 RSA figures showed that, of the rear seat passengers involved who were not wearing a seat belt, 45 percent were killed, compared to 22 percent of rear seat passengers who were wearing a seatbelt.
“Failing to put on your seat belt doesn’t just increase the likelihood that you will be killed in the event of a collision but also may make you into a killer,” said Moyagh Murdock, RSA CEO. “Not being restrained in the rear seat of a car means that in the event of a collision, you will be thrown around the vehicle at extremely high force, doing serious injury both to yourself and potentially also to others in the car. So not wearing a seat belt isn’t just dangerous but selfish too.’’
