Safety Council welcomes expansion of penalty points

The National Safety Council has welcomed the expansion of the penalty points scheme to include the non-wearing of seat-belts.

The council pointed out that failing to wear a seat-belt has been an offence for some time, but from today, motorists who fail to belt up will receive two penalty points and a €60 fine.

They will receive the same penalty for passengers under the age of 17 who are not wearing a seat-belt.

The National Safety Council said today that a survey carried in the four-year period up to 2000 found that 69 people under the age of 15 died in road accidents. Three-quarters of them were not restrained or were not wearing a seat-belt.