Seatbelt Survey Shows Only Three-In-Five Belt Up In The Back Seat

The results of a nationwide Survey of seatbelt wearing on Irish roads, show that 86 percent of drivers wore a seatbelt, but they also reveal that the wearing rate for adults in the rear seats of cars increased from 46 percent in 2005 to just 63 percent in 2006.

Despite this improvement almost two out of five adults still don't wear a seatbelt in the back seat. Women are more likely than men to belt up in rear seats, with wearing rates of 69 per cent and 54 per cent respectively.

The number of people who belt up in the front is unchanged from the 2005 survey. Previous surveys revealed wearing rates of 85 percent in 2003 survey and 71 percent in 2002.

The overall front-seat rate for women remained the same, while the rate for men decreased by one percentage point to 82 per cent in 2006.