During Road Safety Week we had a special visit from Gardaí Teresa, Mick and John. We learned about Road Safety and using seat belts and booster seats to keep us safe.
This week, to tie in with Science Week and our work for the Blue Flag we are investigating designs that can make us safer on the road. The Blue Flag is earned through an awareness of how the EU and being a member of the union has been of benefit to our lives. Under EU law, drivers and passengers must wear a seat belt in any seat fitted with one.
We have learned through our experiment with Eggbert, who really did crack under the pressure, that seat belts are the easiest and cheapest way to avoid injury in a crash. They do not require any special technology and are fitted in all cars. We also learned that since 2006, wearing seat belts is compulsory in all vehicles throughout the EU. Keep and eye on our class page to see how safe our designs proved to be for Egg Sheeran, Shatter, Yokey and Eggy.
Failure to wear a seat belt is the 2nd biggest cause of road death, after speeding but ahead of drink-driving. An EU road safety study (2008) concludes that action targeting the use of seat belts could save up to 7 300 lives a year in the EU.
What about airbags? They are not a substitute for seat belts – always wear a seat belt even if your car is equipped with airbags.
Children under 1.5 m tall, or travelling in cars/lorries fitted with safety devices, must use an approved device for their size.