?..OVER IMPLEMENTATION OF PASSENGERS SEAT BELTS
By; Robert Ayanful
The country is to witness another strike action, this time by commercial drivers over what they call over-burdening of their activities by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority [DVLA] and the National Road Safety Commission [NRSC].
This follows the announcement of a directive by the DVLA and the NRSC that with effect from September this year, all commercial drivers should provide passengers with seat belts in their vehicles.
The move, according to the DVLA and NRSC, is to provide safety for all passengers as well as help reduce fatalities during road accidents.
But commercial drivers received the directive with a pinch of salt immediately it was announced, contending that the move could not be practicable as the commercial vehicles are not manufactured in the countryto provide seat belts for passengers.
Expressing the concern to The Moment, the Swedru branch no.7 Secretary of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Mr. PaaKowKum and the Chairman of the Swedru/Kasoa branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, AlhajiWahab Ibrahim described the directive as not feasible because the commercial vehicles are imported as containers and without seat, but are cut and given seat for commercial purposes.
According to the GPRTU Secretary, Mr. PaaKowKum, it is high time the DVLA and NRSC begin to consult the various transport Unions before any such decision and directives concerning drivers are taken.
Citing instances where decisions have been takenby both the DVLA and NRSC without the collective involvement of drivers and their various unions, Mr. Kum noted that these have often led to unnecessary arrest of drivers by the police without they [drivers]having no knowledge about any such directive.
He, therefore, described as wrong the directive of the provision of passenger seat belts in all commercial vehicles, and warned that all commercial? drivers would embark on a nationwide sit down strike should the directive be implemented.
He was of the view that provision of passenger seat belts could not be a panacea to road accidentsas suggested by the DVLA and the NRSC, but instead construction of quality and accessible roads would be the remedy to curb the road carnage menace.
On his part, the Chairman of the Swedru/Kasoa branch of GPRTU, AlhajiWahab Ibrahim also warned of impending danger should the directive be enforced by the DVLA and the NRSC.
According to him, the two bodies shouldimport commercial vehicles with seat belts for all transport unions to be used if they want every commercial vehicle to have passenger seat belts.
He described the directive as unrealistic as the country does not manufacture cars, let alone manufacture seat belts for passengers.
Checks by this reporter in commercial vehicles showedthat almost allcommercial vehicles in the country have three or four long passenger seats, and? therefore providing seat belts for every passenger would? be a difficult task.
THE MOMENT
