Member of Parliament (MP) for Kintampo South constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region, Madam Felicia Adjei, has called on authorities charged to maintain sanity on highways to strictly enforce the Road Traffic Act 683 which mandates occupants of vehicles to wear seatbelt.
According to her, despite the Act making non-wearing of seat belt a punishable offence, most occupants of vehicles do not wear it due to the lack of enforcement.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Today in her office at the plush Job 600 Building, the Kintampo South MP explained that it was not for nothing that wearing of seat belt was made compulsory, saying it saves lives.
“Wearing of seat belt has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that it is one of the effective ways of saving lives,” she opined.
According to her, seat belts are specially designed to secure and protect occupants of a vehicle against any harm during vehicular accidents.
Madam Adjei recalled that about a year ago, she was involved in a near-fatal car accident, which could have claimed her life had it not been that she had fastened her seat belt.
“This explained my passion and continuous campaign for the use of seatbelts anytime on-board a vehicle”, she added.
Madam Felicia Adjei also bemoaned the practice where buses carrying school children have no seat belts fitted in it.
“What will happen to these children when there is an accident? Are we waiting for a disaster to happen before we act?,” she asked.
She, therefore, called on parents, the Ministry of Education, school management and other stakeholders to device means to ensure that buses carrying school children have seat belts fitted in it.
“School children should not be allowed to be standing on seats or be jumping around in a moving vehicle. They must be seated at all times and fastened their seatbelts to avoid any fatalities when disaster strikes,” she cautioned.
She further entreated her colleague MPs, religious leaders, transport unions, opinion leaders, and media organizations to lead a campaign on the need to wear seat belt.
Statistics from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) on road accidents in only 2016 shows that a total of 11,378 road crashes involving 17,746 vehicles and 12,154 casualties were recorded.
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