 The police are determined to stamp out bad driving habits |
More people in Northern Ireland are wearing seat belts in their cars, according to a new government survey. The number of back seat passengers who are putting on seat belts has risen overall in the past year.
About seven in every 10 young people are now travelling in the back of cars with a belt, according to the Department of the Environment.
The survey found that 68% of 14 to 29-year-olds were travelling in the back with a restraint.
It is the highest recorded number since the survey began in 1994.
A total of 16,642 cars were observed at 15 locations throughout the province.
The figures show that in the last year, 93% of drivers were recorded as wearing a belt.
Front seat passengers were more likely to use a restraint than back seat passengers - just 81% of those surveyed who were in the back of a car were wearing a belt.
Increase
The department found that around one in five children, aged between five and 13 years, were travelling unrestrained in the back seat.
Statistics show that passengers were more inclined to wear a seat belt when the driver did so.
Overall, the numbers of drivers and front seat passengers belting up has increased by 2% on last year. The number of back seat passengers belting up has gone up by 4%.
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