Drivers fit extra clip to sidestep seat belt warning system
Road safety officer Brian O’Donnell said young drivers are buying extra belt buckles in breaker’s yards. The buckles ensure that the car’s in-built safety sound does not go off when the car’s engine is started.
“It defies logic why these young men and others are not wearing seat belts. Evidence has shown that a percentage of people killed in road traffic accidents have not been wearing belts.
“They are getting the extra safety belt clips for no other reason than to prevent the safety sounds from going off in their cars. You can’t blame the people selling the clips as there is a legitimate reason to sell them,” said the safety officer with Donegal County Council.
Mr O’Donnell said one explanation why young people are not wearing seat belts is the slouched way in which they sit in their cars.
“They prefer to sit in this slouched position and that is simply not comfortable if they are wearing a seat belt so they do not wear the seat belts as a result,” he said.
Mr O’Donnell says education is a key part of safer-driving for young and old alike. While recent emphasis has been on the use of mobile phones, his personal opinion is that we must continue to tackle every aspect of bad driving.
“Texting and talking on our phones while driving is a major issue. But my personal opinion is that all aspects of poor driving such as speeding and not wearing seat belts contribute just as much to the dangers and tragic consequences on our roads.
“We must continue to ensure that the messages gets across that it is not socially acceptable to drink and drink, to speed or to use your phone be that texting or talking on the phone while driving. That message has got across to some degree with drink driving but we must ensure that it also hits home for the wearing of seat belts and also the use of phones while driving,” he said.
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