The number of traffic offences attracting penalty points will be increased to 48 from midnight.

All but one of the new offences concern the use of seatbelts, with four of them related to ensuring that children are properly restrained in cars.

Drivers will now face penalty points if children are not in the appropriate child restraints, such as child or booster seats.

Points now also apply in cases where a child in a rearward facing child seat is placed in the front of the car close to an active airbag.

Motorists already faced penalty points for having a child under 17 in a car without a seatbelt.

Truck and bus drivers will also face penalty points if caught driving without wearing a seatbelt.

The clampdown comes as the latest Road Safety Authority figures show that 23% of drivers and 29% of passengers killed in the first six months of this year were not wearing seatbelts.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said it is amazing in this day and age that people are still not wearing their seatbelts.

Offences incurring penalty points:

Driver of car or goods vehicle not wearing safety belt

Driver permitting person under 17 years of age to occupy a seat when not wearing safety belt

Driver of car or goods vehicle permitting child under 3 years of age to travel in it without being restrained by appropriate child restraint

Driver of car or goods vehicle permitting child over 3 years of age to travel in it without being restrained by appropriate child restraint

Driver of car or goods vehicle permitting child to be restrained by rearward facing child restraint fitted to a seat protected by active frontal air-bag

Driver of bus not wearing safety belt

Using vehicle - (a) whose weight un-laden exceeds maximum permitted weight, (b) whose weight laden exceeds maximum permitted weight, or (c)any part of which transmits to ground greater weight than maximum permitted weight