The use of the safety belt is without doubt the most basic form of road saftety
A BANK HOLIDAY weekend seat belt appeal has been jointly launched by the An Garda Siochana and the Road Safety Authority as national road collision figures have revealed that between 2009 and 2015, 17 people were killed and 47 seriously injured in collisions during the Easter Bank Holiday period.
With thousands of people expected to travel this weekend, the RSA and An Garda Síochána are urging road-users to be vigilant on the road and in particular, to ensure they and their passengers are wearing seatbelts.
An analysis of road fatalities for 2015 showed that one in four drivers killed (20) and one in three passengers killed (9) were not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the collision.
Research suggests that two out of every three people will survive a crash if they are wearing a seatbelt, meaning over 20 deaths could have been prevented last year if they had been wearing a seatbelt.
Of the nine passengers killed who were not wearing their seatbelt, six were sitting in the back of the car.
Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive of the RSA said: “We are reminding road-users that bank holiday weekends are typically high-risk periods due to the sheer number of people on the road. One simple step people can take to ensure their safety is to wear a seatbelt.
“Buckling up is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you, and everyone in your car, stays safe if you crash.”
Noting the serious injures that can be caused to unbelted drivers and passengers alike, the RSA chief warned “don’t take any chances – buckle up and make sure that everyone else in your car does the same. It could be the difference between life and death.”
An Garda Síochána is reminding road-users that its members will be out in force over the Easter Bank Holiday period to tackle high risk behaviour with a particular focus on non-compliance with seatbelt wearing.
