Drivers and passengers told to belt up or pay up

DRIVERS who allow children to travel in cars without seat belts will face penalty points and fines from this Monday.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan warned yesterday that all drivers and passengers must belt up from Monday or face strict penalties.

Motorists who do not use a seat belt or who allow children aged under 17 to be carried in their vehicle without restraint will incur two penalty points plus a fine of 60 if paid within 28 days. After that, the fine increases to 90 which must be paid within a further 28 days.

If they challenge the offence in court, drivers will receive four penalty points plus a maximum fine of 800 if convicted. The maximum fine increases to 1,500 for the second and subsequent offences.

Adult passengers face an on-the-spot fine of 25 for not wearing a seat belt in the front or back seat. Mr Brennan said the law would be enforced from next week, despite the fact that there is a backlog in processing points already issued.

Gardaí remain unhappy that the additional offence is being implemented when officers outside the Dublin Metropolitan Area still have to input points on a manual basis.

Mr Brennan said with schools re-opening next month, he found it extraordinary that many parents still failed to ensure their children were properly restrained in cars.

"The wearing rate for rear seat passengers, estimated at no more than 20%, was a source of particular concern, especially as children are generally carried in rear seats," he said.

Mr Brennan said seat belt sanctions were crucial given that gardaí detected almost 55,000 such offences last year. However, Austin Kenny of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors expressed concern as the computerised system is not fully operational on a national basis.

"Many officers are very unhappy about the administrative burden they are facing with the penalty points system, especially those outside Dublin who have to deal with offences manually," Mr Kenny said.

Although the Fixed Penalties Office in Capel St, Dublin, which administers fines in the Dublin Metropolitan Area has been computerised since May, it is still dealing with a backlog of penalty points, despite the appointment of additional staff.

Although Mr Kenny stressed that the AGSI was fully supportive of any measure to save lives, he remained critical of the "antiquated nature" of the system. "It is also reducing the number of gardaí available for duty on the streets," he said.

Mr Brennan said injuries through road accidents were down 30%, while the number of road fatalities between November 1, 2002 and July 31, 2003 had fallen by 56 to 251 compared to the same period in the preceding year when 307 lives were lost. Insurance claims had also dropped.

A total of 43,942 drivers have been issued with penalty points since last November one motorist has already amassed 10 penalty points. Drivers face automatic disqualification for six months if they accumulate 12 points within a three-year period.

Motorists can now receive points for a total of three offences speeding, no insurance and non-wearing of seat belts. The introduction of any of the remaining 66 offences under the penalty points system is unlikely to take place before next year.