Tipperary's Chief Superintendent is concerned about a rise in this common driving offence

There has been a 30% increase in people not wearing a seatbelt in the car.

This is according to the Chief Superintendent Colm O’Sullivan at a recent sitting of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee.

During his presentation, Chief Superintendent O’Sullivan said it is the driver's responsibility to make sure seatbelts are worn.

“I’ll put it to you this way. Would you put a vase on the back seat? No you wouldn’t. It would fall and break.

“Our loved ones are our most prized possessions. So make sure everyone is belted up before taking off,” said Chief Supt O’Sullivan.

However, TD Martin Browne asked who is legally responsible for ensuring seatbelt compliance.

The Chief Superintendent said the driver has a responsibility to everyone in the vehicle.

However, he also said whether or not that responsibility is a legal one with regards to the wearing of seatbelts is a matter of age. If the passenger is over the age of 18, it is their responsibility to make sure they are wearing a seatbelt.

If the passenger is under 18, it is the driver who is legally responsible.

SPEEDING BLACKSPOTS

Speeding was down 23% according to the Chief Superintendent's report.

However, Nenagh councillor Ger Darcy raised concerns about ‘speed blackspots’. He said he felt in some parts of the county, it is becoming an “ever-increasing problem.”

Cllr David Dunne said he too thinks ‘enthusiastic drivers’ are an issue in the county.

The Chief Superintendent replied that if members want to report speed blackspots, his members will look at them and he thought speed indicator signs would be helpful for alerting motorists they are going too fast. He also said people needed to take responsibility for their behaviour and speeding is not the only issue.

“There is an element who see no problem going to a pub or nightclub, taking drugs and then driving impaired,” said Chief Supt O’Sullivan.

GOOD NEWS

Last week’s JPC sitting did yield some good news.

Fatal collisions in the county were down 100% at the time the data was collated.

However, the Chief Superintendent recognised the impact of more recent events.

Serious injury collisions were down 17%

Driving while holding a mobile phone was down 34% There were 575 MIT checkpoints carried out in the Premier County, a reduction of 5%.

However, detections of driving while intoxicated were up 51% in the same period.

These statistics were accurate as