Safety belt or what we normally refer to as Seat belt is one of the most effective means of reducing the number and severity of injuries in motor-vehicle crashes. According to one study, the risk of dying in an automobile accident is reduced by 45 percent when passengers make proper use of safety belts. The risk of serious injury is reduced by about 50 percent.

Violators are often subjected to fines and in some cases even risk having their driving privileges suspended. Some governments in other countries have enacted laws that require passengers in all seating positions (both front and rear seats) to wear safety belts.

In Ghana, the 2004 Road Traffic Act (Act 683 – Section 13) states that; a person of 18 years or above who drives a motor vehicle on a road, or sits on the front or rear seat of a motor vehicle being driven on a road without wearing a seat belt commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 100 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or to both.

However, here is the situation where safety belts are cut off from their respective seats right after a car is cleared from the harbor. The reason why they take those steps is best known to them. There are countable numbers of Taxis (Brand new ones of course) in Ghana that cannot boast of having safety belts attached to all the seats. As for Trotros, the least said about them the better. I have never sat in a Trotro that has a safety belt attached to the seats before.

As its name implies, safety belts are meant to be worn by a driver and passengers for their safety, should in case an accident occurs. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reports that, “an estimated 300,000 persons die and 10-15 million persons are injured each year in traffic crashes throughout the world.” Those figures would have been greatly reduced had all those people been wearing seat belts.

My observations about commercial drivers reveal that they either do not know the purpose of a safety belt or they deliberately forgo the use of it. Most often, I realize they do not put it on whilst driving. The only time I see them doing so is when they are approaching a police check-point. Right after the checks are over, they take off the safety belts again. This only emphasizes the point that, safety belts are worn by commercial drivers not for their safety, but to skip being arrested by a police officer.

Most police officers don’t pay close attention to this because they are far more interested in collecting their ‘chop monies’ from you than to make sure the right thing is done. Should they go according to the Road Traffic Act, we all (passengers) are subject to getting arrested.

Is it the high level of illiteracy on the case of commercial drivers that is causing this or what? Common sense, they say, is not common to common people. I am sure every Ghanaian commercial driver is aware of the fact that safety belts are meant for their safety and that of their passengers, but not to swerve police officers.

Petty things like this go unnoticed; however, more lives are lost in motor-vehicle crashes due to lack of safety belts.

I think commercial drivers in Ghana need more serious education with regards to the use of safety belts. What do you suggest?