Police pledge to strictly enforce seat belt use

Fumesua (Ash), April 17, GNA - The police have vowed to strictly enforce the use of seat belts in commercial vehicles when the law becomes operational in December, this year.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kofi Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Commander, said the police would aggressively work to ensure compliance of the new road traffic regulation, Legislative Instrument (LI) 218.

He was speaking at the closing of a training course on the installation of seat belts in commercial vehicles for garage owners selected from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, at Fumesua near Kumasi on Friday.

The training was organised by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to equip the participants with the needed skills for standard installation of the belts.

DCOP Kofi Boakye said aside ensuring that commercial vehicle operations met international standards, the use of seat belts would help to drastically reduce fatalities during road crashes.

He commended the DVLA and the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) for taking the initiative to train and educate the public on the use of seat belts.

He called for proper sensitisation of police personnel to help them have better understanding of the new regulation.

Mr Rudolf Beckley, Chief Executive Officer of DVLA, said the training was part of a programme to get certified garages to begin the nationwide fixing of seat belts in all commercial vehicles from June 1, this year.

He said the Authority was collaborating with key stakeholders to begin sustained public education campaign to promote compliance.

Mrs May Obiri Yeboah, Executive Director of the NRSC, urged the participants to help educate their colleagues and clients on the need to install and use seat belts in their vehicles.

GNA