As we await the imposition of penalty points at the end of the month for those caught without seatbelts, the European Commission has published a draft Directive on the compulsory fitting of seat belts in new vehicles of all types from July 2004.
Whereas until now only private cars have had to be fitted with seat belts, the new regulations will extend in future to all other categories of vehicle, particularly minibuses, coaches, light commercial vehicles and lorries.
The Commission has estimated that this will affect nearly two million commercial vehicles every year. The new measure forms part of the European Road Safety Action Programme designed to halve the number of road deaths by 2010.
Although they apply to all vehicles other than cars, the Commission predicts that the application of the new regulations will be of most benefit in coaches that are designed to carry up to sixty seated passengers.
In respect of coaches, the Commission says, assuming that 80 per cent of the passengers will actually wear the safety belts, the lives of up to 120 people in Europe could be saved annually.
According to research carried out by the Commission, keeping occupants of an overturning coach within their seats is key to surviving the crash.
Generally, the research says, most passengers who are ejected in the course of a crash will die of their injuries. Those occupants that remain in the vehicles as it comes to rest will generally survive.
Similarly, more and more heavy- and light-duty trucks are involved in road accidents and the majority occupants are killed as a result of being ejected from the driving seat.
According to a National Roads Authority survey of seat belt wearing rates in Ireland in 2002, 72 per cent of drivers and front seat passengers wear a seatbelt, an increase on the 1999 rate of 57 per cent.
Ireland's rate of road deaths in 2000, at 11.0 per 100,000 population, is ranked joint seventh out of the 15 EU Member States.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, was not able to comment as he had not yet seen the draft, but according to a spokesperson for the Department of Transport, a new Bill on road safety measures is to be drafted over the summer and will cover all aspects of road safety.
"It is too early yet to say whether the new Bill will take the draft Directive into account as even the Heads of Bill have to be drawn up," said the spokesperson.
"This will be done over the summer and will be brought before the Dáil in the autumn.However, it is clear that the Minister would throw his full support behind any measure that is likely to improve road safety."
The target date for the implementation of the measures contained in the Bill is next January.
This draft Directive follows the adoption of another Directive in April, by the Commission, on the compulsory wearing of seat belts and the use of restraint systems for children under three years of age.
Its provisions must be implemented by May 9th, 2006.