IRISH GARAGES HAVE been selling devices called “beep stoppers” aimed at disabling car systems that beep when seatbelts are not worn while driving.
Amazon has also removed spare seatbelt buckles from its store because they could be used to circumvent seatbelt alarms, and taken enforcement action against sellers following an investigation by The Journal.
It’s understood that the online retail giant is investigating terms used by sellers that directed consumers using search terms such as “seat belt silencers” to the Amazon website.
Seatbelt use is declining in Ireland, despite the fact that it is illegal for drivers and passengers not to wear a seatbelt at all times, with extremely limited exceptions.
At least 28% of drivers and passengers who died in road accidents in Ireland in recent years were not wearing a seatbelt.
One Donegal garage has removed a product called a “Seat Belt Buckle Beep Stopper” from its website after being contacted by The Journal.
Sweeney Motor Factors in Letterkenny had said on its website that the product would “eliminate the annoying seatbelt beep”.
It described the product as an “easy and effective solution for those who find the beep sound disruptive or annoying”.
This listing has now been removed. The garage responded to a request for comment with a link to the Citizens Information article on “seatbelts and the law”.
Similar products were also for sale on the Irish domain of Fruugo, an online marketplace. At least three such listings were taken down after the company was contacted for comment by The Journal.
Fruugo said: “Consumers use seat belt silencers for a variety of legal reasons.”
“Fruugo does not advocate driving without wearing a seat belt,” it added.
It said it monitors legislation and instructs retailers to ensure they are up to date with “any applicable legislative requirements”.
Micks Garage, an online car parts seller in Dublin, lists a product called a “beep-stopper for safety belt”. The listing says the product “stops [the] beeper sound if the safety belt is not being used” but is “to be used only when safety belt is not compulsory (off-road, pregnant women etc…)”.
The listing adds: “Please refer to your country rules.”
Micks Garage has not responded to requests for comment, including on the fact that there is no automatic exemption from using a seatbelt while pregnant in Ireland, and seatbelts are advised for all journeys, no matter how short.
The Journal was able to buy the product last Thursday.
Amazon UK said it required all products to comply with its own policies and with applicable laws, and had developed “tools” to prevent non-compliant products from being listed.
“These products have now been removed from the store, and we are taking appropriate enforcement against the third party sellers in question,” Amazon UK said in a statement.
It’s understood replacement seatbelt buckles have been removed from the Amazon.co.uk website even though they could have a legitimate use, because of their potential use to facilitate risky behaviour.
Products of this kind appear to still be available on the American website, Amazon.com, in product listings to which people are directed if they search with Google using the terms “seat belt silencer”.
Amazon UK said it was “disappointed when bad actors evade our system” and was “investigating to improve our prevention mechanisms”. It said many thousands of small businesses selling on its store provided good products and customer experiences.
There is increasing evidence that driver behaviour in Ireland has deteriorated in Ireland since the pandemic – contributing to a startling increase in deaths on the roads.
Seatbelt use – or lack of it – is no exception.
An observational survey by the Road Safety Authority found that there was a 4 percentage point drop in seatbelt use among drivers last year to 95%, with a similar fall recorded for front seat passengers.
There was an improvement in the rate of seatbelt wearing among backseat passengers – but in general, rates of seatbelt wearing were down across all vehicle types.
Collision data from 2019-2022 indicates at least 28% of drivers and passengers who died were not wearing a seatbelt.
With reporting by Sadbh Cox
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