29 June 2005
STATISTICS REVEAL INCREASE IN PEOPLE WEARING SEATBELTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND
The seat belt wearing rates for drivers as well as front and back seat passengers has increased since April 2004.
This was revealed today in a major survey commissioned by the DOE on the wearing of seat belts in Northern Ireland.
In total 16,642 cars were observed and details of 25,203 occupants recorded. Survey data were collected at 15 sites throughout Northern Ireland. Of these 15 sites, six were located on rural roads, six on urban roads and three on motorways.
Fieldwork involved observing stationary traffic and recording details including gender, estimated age and whether a seat belt or child restraint was being used by car occupants.
The key points from the survey are as follows:
Seat Belt Wearing Rates - In April 2005, 93% of drivers were recorded as wearing a seat belt. Front seat passengers (92%) were more likely to use a restraint than back seat passengers (81%).
Changes in Seat Belt Wearing since April 2004 - Over the last year, the seat belt wearing rate for drivers and front seat passengers has increased by two percentage points each to 93% and 92% respectively. The wearing rate for back seat passengers rose by four percentage points over the period to 81%.
Back Seat Belt Wearing Rates - The overall seat belt wearing rate for back seat passengers (81%) disguises different wearing rates for adults (14 years and over) and children (13 years and under), with 73% of adults wearing a seat belt in the back, compared to 86% of children. Both these figures compare favourably with April 2004, when 67% of adults and 83% of children wore a seatbelt in the back.
Back Seat Belt Wearing Rates by Age - Children under one year of age have the highest back seat restraint wearing rate (98%). The age group with the lowest back seat wearing rate was 14 to 29 year olds (68%), however this figure represents the highest rate recorded since the series began in 1994. Around one in five children (18%) aged between 5 and 13 years travel unrestrained in the back seat.
Influence of Driver upon Seat Belt Wearing Rates for Passengers - The seat belt wearing rate for both front and back seat passengers was higher when the driver of the vehicle wore a seat belt, compared to when they did not. 94% of front seat passengers wore a seat belt when the driver of the vehicle was wearing one, compared to only 55% when the driver was not. In the back seat, 83% of passengers wore a seat belt when the driver of the vehicle also wore one, compared to 53% when the driver did not.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- This is the sixteenth in a series of Seat Belt Surveys. The series, which began in 1994, has been conducted biannually, in April and October. However, from April 1997 the survey was conducted on an annual basis in April of each year, with the exception of 2001 when a survey was carried out in both April and October.
Survey data were collected at 15 sites throughout Northern Ireland. Of these 15 sites, six were located on rural roads, six on urban roads and three on motorways.
Fieldwork involved observing stationary traffic and recording details including gender, estimated age and whether a seat belt or child restraint was being used by car occupants. Recording took place between 08:30 and 17:00 on Tuesday 19th and Saturday 23rd April 2005. In total 16,642 cars were observed and details of 25,203 occupants recorded.
- Hard and electronic copies of both the ‘Northern Ireland Seat Belt Survey April 2005 Report’ and the ‘Northern Ireland Seat Belt Bulletin April 2005’(pdf 186.5kb) are available free of charge from:
Central Statistics and Research Branch, Department of the Environment (NI), Room 4.02, Clarence Court, 10 - 18 Adelaide Street, BELFAST BT2 8GB Telephone (028) 9054 0808 E-mail csrb@doeni.gov.uk Web http://csrb.doeni.gov.uk/statistics/statistics.asp
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