Seat belt wearing rates have decreased among drivers and front-seat passengers between 2022 and 2023, new research from the Road Safety Authority has found.
The research was a manual observational study of the seat belt habits of drivers and passengers carried out between September and October 2023 and showed the rate of drivers that wore a seat belt decreased by 4% to 95%, when compared to 2022.
A 5% decrease was also recorded for front-seat passengers, down to 94%.
While rear-seat passenger seat belt rates increased overall by 2% to 95%, compliance was lower for those travelling on rural roads.
A separate survey showed one in ten people in Ireland admitted not wearing a seat belt as a driver or front-seat passenger at least once in the past 30 days.
The 2023 European E-survey of Road Users’ Attitudes (ESRA) was conducted in 39 countries, collecting data from more than 37,000 road users, 901 of which were in Ireland.
Almost one in five Irish people reported travelling without wearing a seat belt in the back.
It comes as the RSA launched an advertising campaign encouraging drivers to ask their passengers to wear their seatbelt.
The campaign will air on TV, video on demand, radio, digital audio and social media.
CEO Sam Waide said: “We are asking drivers to set an example by wearing their own seat belt and asking passengers to put theirs on too.
“Wearing a seat belt can be the difference between surviving a collision and not – they are proven life savers.”
RSA analysis of Irish collision data showed that 22% of car users killed between 2019 and 2023 were not wearing a seat belt.
A further 7% of car users seriously injured between 2019 and 2023 were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.
“The first safety rule is to ensure your seat belt is securely fastened and all drivers will be aware of this from when they learnt to drive,” said Minister for State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers.
“I am really concerned to see the decline in seat belt use. It is a very real risk and potential killer behaviour which increases the likelihood of a driver or passenger being killed or seriously injured.
“Drivers need to take responsibility for themselves and their passengers. Seat belts save lives, and choosing not to wear one is not only dangerous, but selfish too,” he added.
