The number of young Irish motorists not wearing seatbelts is on the rise, according to recent figures, driven in part by the introduction of a new device.

A ‘beep stopper’ is a seatbelt buckle detached from the belt, inserted into the seatbelt socket to trick the vehicle into turning off its warning lights and alarms, making it seem as though the seatbelt is fastened.

They cost around €10 online and are understood to be popular among young people, with 10% of respondents to a recent RSA survey admitting they had driven without a seatbelt in the last 30 days.

The survey also revealed a 4% decline in seatbelt use among drivers between 2022 and 2023.

On The Hard Shoulder today, Sunday Independent motoring editor Ger Herbert said the use of beep stoppers “beggars belief.”

“I just wonder how we're not extinct at this stage, to be honest,” she said.

“If you think about how long seatbelts have been around - they came in about 1971 and for rear passengers in 1992 - so these are not new innovations.

“Have we forgotten why they’re so important?”

'Beep stoppers' are being used by young drivers to allow them to drive without wearing seatbelts@TheHardShoulder pic.twitter.com/1t6ysTO0Ie

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) August 14, 2024

She said driving without a seatbelt is the cause of many road fatalities.

“Research shows that from 2019 to 2023, 22% of car users killed in fatal road crashes were not wearing a seatbelt,” she said.

“This obviously doesn't mean that 22% of drivers or passengers are not wearing a seatbelt, but that there’s a much greater chance of being killed if you're not wearing one.

“It was the cause of one-in-five fatalities, basically.”

Young people's attitude

Ms Herbert said young people are developing a disregard for road safety.

“We see it also with drink driving,” she said.

“The RSA did a survey recently where they found that attitudes were softening towards drink driving; fewer people thought it was unacceptable than they did four years ago, which is really worrying.

“If we look at the stats on drink driving and drug driving, the predominant cohort are male drivers under the age of 45.”

'Lack of motivation'

Ms Herbert said she doesn’t think it’s related to a lack of education.

“It's definitely a lack of motivation to comply with the law,” she said.

“That goes back to just your chance of getting caught, as it’s not good enough that people think there is a real risk.”

She added that “safer roads and better enforcement” are also needed to increase safety.

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Main image: Kieran Cuddihy pictured with a 'beep stopper'. Image: Newstalk