Compulsory wearing of seat belts and helmets

COMMENTARY ON THE URGENT NEED TO ENFORCE THE LAW ON THE COMPULSORY WEARING OF SEAT BELTS  

It is no secret to say that most drivers, especially those operating commercial vehicles – ‘trotro’ buses and taxis- hurriedly wear their seat belts when they spot the police from a distance but quickly remove them after a few metres drive from the law enforcement officers. One may ask, who are such recalcitrant drivers deceiving and do they know the benefits of wearing seat belts?  It has been the expectation of road safety experts that, if Ghanaians will cultivate the habit of wearing seat belt and helmet more lives would be saved and productivity would improve. This explains why current efforts inspired by the Road Traffic Act, 2004, (Act 683) and the Road Traffic Regulations 2012, (LI 2180), must be supported and embraced by all.   As a people, we need to take a cue from countries such as Cote D’Ivoire, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Sweden, where violation of the laws on the wearing of seat belt constitutes a primary or secondary offence. 

Wearing of seat belts and helmets are meant to protect the occupants of vehicles, as well as those who use motor and pedal cycles. This prevents or minimises injury in the event of a crash.  It is important for all drivers and passengers to appreciate the fact that injury kills. Injury is preventable and avoidable. It must be noted that anytime one is sitting in a vehicle, the natural law of inertia acts on both the vehicle and passengers. The law of inertia states that "all objects are at rest and they only start moving when a force is applied and they continue to move in a straight direction until another force, which is greater than the first one, stops it."  This means that if a person is sitting in a vehicle and a crash occurs, the vehicle slows down but the individual would continue to move in a straight direction. The seat belt, when worn properly, restrains the person from moving forward. Those without seat belts continue to move forward. This is the reason why front seat occupants most often hit their heads against the windshield and, at worst, fly through the windshield. Occupants at the rear seat become flying missiles injuring front seat passengers. The picture that should be clear to us is that, the wearing of seat belt can make a significant difference between life and death. This was not lost on former US President, Bill Clinton, when he said on December 28, 1996 that, ‘If there is one thing we can do to save thousands of American lives, it is to increase the wearing of seat belts.’  A Swedish study of 28,000 crashes in 1968 revealed that no deaths occurred at speeds up to 114km/hr when lap and shoulder belts were used.  

Ghanaians must accept the fact that seat belt has been around since the mid-1960s. A number of countries have since 1965 systematically made the use of seat belt as part of their driving culture. So why is it proving a difficult task in Ghana?  Seat belts and safety helmets first appeared in the Ghana Highway Code in 1974, when Ghana, on August 4 that year, joined other countries to change from driving on the left side of the road to the right.  The move to enforce the legislation on compulsory wearing of seat belt is not fiction. On the page four of the Ghana Highway Code, it is stated that, ‘Fix seat belts in your car and make sure they are always used even on short trips.’  Decades of real world experience have shown beyond any shade of doubt that seat belt saves lives. In the event of crashes, when one sustains injury it is not seen as only private pain but a public burden and a cost. The cost can be seen in terms of the time the police spend to investigate the crashes, hospital treatment and the effect on productivity.  Let us encourage all drivers especially, operators of commercial vehicles to adopt positive attitude towards the use of seat belt and protective helmet anytime they use the road, to save lives and property.    

BY: DAN OSMAN MWIN, A SOCIO-POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND A PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTITIONER WITH THE NATIONAL AMBULANCE SERVICE.