Alliance puts pressure on Minister to make van travel safe

12.12.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 1st Oct 2007

Alliance Chief Whip Kieran McCarthy MLA

Alliance Chief Whip Kieran McCarthy MLA has called on the Minister Arlene Foster to act quickly to create legislation which forces all vans and goods vehicles to be fully fitted with seatbelts in the front and back for all passengers. His comments come following the launch of a campaign to have this legislation created by a man who lost his son in a van accident in such circumstances.

The Opposition MLA Kieran McCarthy said: "Its time that laws were created to make sure all goods vehicles and building and trade contractors' vans had to be fitted with seatbelts for all passengers.

"These machines can be a death trap on wheels. If they crash, the people in the back are left totally unprotected.

"Almost everyone who works in these industries has seen circumstances where people are not even sitting on proper seats, let alone having access to seatbelts.

"These types of vehicles which are carrying passengers in the back simply must be fitted with seatbelts and we need the legislation to back this up. The pressure is now on the Minister to act urgently to create such laws."

ENDS