The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced that all commercial passenger vehicles will be required to use seat belts beginning next year.
The DVLA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Prince Opoku Adusei, stated during the opening ceremony for the training of accident and traffic enforcement officers and DVLA Technician Engineers in Koforidua on Thursday, November 10, 2022, that the authority has successfully gone through the approval section for implementation and is currently awaiting final clearance from the Ministry of Finance for the policy to be implemented in 2023.
“The DVLA has successfully completed the approval section of seatbelt implementation in commercial vehicles.” [We are] awaiting final approval from the Ministry of Finance before proceeding with the procurement process.”
“We will return to you very soon, hopefully next year, to work out a way to ensure the smooth implementation of this critical policy.” This is especially true for vans that have been converted to passenger vehicles, according to Mr Opoku Adusei.
By 2020, the mandatory seat belt policy is expected to reduce deaths and serious injuries associated with vehicle accidents by half.
Commercial vehicle operators fiercely opposed the policy’s implementation in September 2014.
The DVLA announced at the time that it would not register new vehicles intended for public passenger service that did not have seatbelts installed in each seat.
In addition, the authority intended not to renew the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles that did not have seatbelts installed in each seat.
Section 119 of Parliament’s Road Traffic Regulation Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180, passed in 2012, emphasises the use of seatbelts in all vehicles.
Meanwhile, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reports that available statistics show a decrease in road fatalities in the Eastern region.
Between January and October of this year, 325 people were killed in 1177 crashes, compared to 357 people killed in the same period last year.
According to the NRSA, the impact of vigorous education and the Stay Alive Campaign it undertook with the MTTD, DVLA, National Ambulance, Red Cross Society, and National Fire Service is attributed to the margin of decrease in fatalities.
The Eastern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority spoke to the media on the sidelines of a training programme for Accident/Traffic Enforcement Officers and DVLA Technicians.
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In an interview with the media on the sidelines of a training programme for Accident/Traffic Enforcement Officers and DVLA Technicians, Dennis Yirebu, Eastern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority, stated that the authority will strengthen its collaboration with various stakeholders in the coming years to further reduce fatalities.
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