Hillis urges European Commission to do more to make our roads safer
Welcoming the European Commission’s recent Directive on the compulsory use of seat belts in all vehicles, Norman Hillis MLA, the Ulster Unionist Party’s European spokesman, has called on the Commission to do more to improve road safety across Europe.
Mr Hillis explained, “The European Commission recently reviewed the efforts made since 2001 to improve road safety. While considerable progress has been made - in 2005 there were 41,000 road fatalities in Europe compared with 50,000 in 2001 - greater efforts will have to be made at all levels.
“Generally speaking, the European legislation in force so far made seat belt use compulsory only in vehicles under 3.5 tonnes. In vehicles with more than nine seats and in commercial vehicles, it was not compulsory to use seat belts when sitting in the back of vehicles. The existing Directive did require the use of child restraints on seats fitted with seat belts, but it did not specify what type of restraint would be appropriate. It allowed children to travel without being properly restrained by a device suited to their size if none was available.
“The new Directive makes it compulsory to use seat belts in all categories of vehicles and on all seats fitted with them; it also provides for a series of measures to improve the safety of children travelling in cars, lorries and coaches,” continued Mr Hillis.
“While this new Directive is very much welcome, with the alarming numbers of people dying on the roads, - 42 people have perished on Northern Ireland’s roads so far this year - I feel that more can still be done.
“Safer car design can drastically reduce the effect of road crashes: safer vehicle fronts can reduce the potential of injury to pedestrians; increased safety features can protect passengers involved in accidents; I call on the European Commission to implement directives which tighten up the regulations regarding car design and reduce the numbers European families who have to suffer the loss of loved ones.”