Over the last seven Easter bank holiday weekends, 17 people have died and almost 50 have been seriously injured on Irish roads.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Gardai are urging all road users to be vigilant over the coming days and to ensure that seatbelts are always worn.

An analysis of road fatalities that occurred last year has revealed that one-quarter of all drivers (20) and one-third of all passengers (nine) who were killed in collisions were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.

Research suggests that two in three people will survive a collision if they are wearing a seatbelt. When applied to the figures for last year, this indicates that over 20 road deaths could have been prevented in 2015 if the victims had been wearing their seatbelts.

"We are reminding road users that bank holiday weekends are typically high-risk periods due to the sheer number of people on the road. One simple step people can take to ensure their safety is to wear a seatbelt. Buckling up is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you, and everyone in your car, stays safe if you crash. Without it, your chances of surviving a collision are significantly reduced," commented RSA chief executive, Moyagh Murdock.

She pointed out that people who do not wear seatbelts also put others at risk because if there is a crash, they will be ‘thrown around the inside of the car', potentially causing serious injuries to others.

Meanwhile, the Gardai is reminding people that its members will 'be out in force' over the Easter bank holiday period and they will also be focusing on the importance of wearing seatbelts.

"It really is incredible to believe that even in this day and age, so many drivers and passengers are not wearing their seatbelt. They are proven life savers and there is no other way to re-enforce that message.

"In 2015, over 10,500 fixed charge notices were issued to drivers who failed to put their seatbelt on, or properly restrain children in a car. Drivers need to be aware that penalty points for non-wearing of seatbelts increased from two to three recently," explained Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid.

He added that car users could suffer devastating injuries even in a low-speed collision.

The RSA figures show that 17 people died and 47 were seriously injured over the Easter bank holiday periods between 2009 and 2015.