The Donegal Road Safety Working Group is appealing to drivers and passengers to ensure that every person in every seat wears a seatbelt on every trip.
The wearing of a seatbelt is the most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a collision.
Young drivers and passengers are often under the impression that they don’t need to wear a seatbelt, especially if other people in the car are not wearing theirs.
The common excuses include, they think it does not make them look cool; they think it’s a bit embarrassing to be “safe”; they think it’s uncomfortable; they think the driver is safe and they don’t need to wear a seatbelt and they think “it won’t happen to me”. Whatever the excuse for not wearing a seatbelt the alternative is much worse.
There were 188 fatalities on Ireland’s roads in 2016, 11 deaths in Donegal. 1 in 5 drivers and passengers were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision, 15 drivers (18%) and 12 passengers (32%). In total, where known, 27 vehicle occupants were not wearing a seatbelt (22%).
In a collision at 50kph, if you are a rear seat passenger and not wearing a seatbelt, you will hit the front seat, and anyone in it, with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own body weight, which could result in death or serious injury to you and people sitting in the front seat. Wearing a seatbelt is not about personal choice, it’s about common sense, please put your seatbelt on every single time you get into the car and ALWAYS belt up. It could save your life!
Brian O’Donnell, Road Safety Officer stated “Using a seatbelt is a quick and simple task and it is a highly effective way of reducing the chances of serious injury and death in a collision. The essential seatbelt, that two inches of webbing across your chest, saves lives and that is why wearing a seat belt is not a matter of personal choice, but is compulsory for drivers and passengers in every country in Europe”.
“Not wearing a seatbelt is a major contributory factor to death and serious injury on our roads but more and more drivers and passengers are just not wearing their seatbelts, which is crazy and utter madness. The number of people who have lost their lives in road traffic collisions is unacceptable. To make a real dent in the numbers being killed and injured, people have to think about other road users when they get behind the wheel. The aggressive and dangerous habits have to die. All road users need to take responsibility for their actions, use the roads carefully and you may be able to use them for a long time, use them carelessly and you may never be able to use them again”.
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