Strengthen laws on seatbelt, child restraint systems use - NGO advocates

The government has been urged to strengthen the legislative framework governing the use of seatbelts and child restraint systems (CRS) in the country.

The Project Manager of the LADA Institute, a non governmental organisation, Shirley Haizel-Ferguson, said data indicated 58 individuals under the age of 18 were killed in road crashes between January and March 2024, which represented 10 per cent of all road traffic fatalities.

She stressed the need for a robust framework to ensure the safety and protection of road users, especially children, from road traffic injuries and fatalities.

Event

Ms Hazel-Ferguson was speaking at the stakeholders’ roundtable organised by the institute in Accra last Thursday.

Held on the theme,”Strengthening the legislative framework for child restraints and seatbelts usage for children in Ghana,”  it aimed to address the poor use of seat-belts and child restraints in the country and also develop recommendations and a roadmap for legislative reform.

The event formed part of the institute’s advocacy campaign to support the amendment of the Road Traffic Act 2004 (Act 683) to mandate child restraints and seat belt use in the country.

Ms Haizel-Ferguson said World Health Organisation’s 2018 Global Standards Report on road safety had shown that road traffic injuries had become the leading cause of death among people aged five to 29 globally.

"This disregard for child safety is deeply concerning, given the laws already in place. Our law explicitly prohibits children under the age of five from sitting in the front passenger seat, yet this rule is mostly ignored,” she said.

She said a mini-survey conducted by the institute revealed that while 70.6 per cent of respondents were aware of the law prohibiting children in front seats ,”65 per cent also understood the need for approved child restraint systems, however, compliance remains low.’’

Ms  Haizel-Ferguson said “one of our key achievements has been our proposal to harmonise section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 with Regulation 1195 of the Road Traffic Regulation 2012 (L.I. 2180).

“Our proposal to amend this regulation has been incorporated into the Road Traffic Amendment Regulation 2024, currently undergoing a 21-day maturity period,” she added.

She stressed the need for the country's legislative framework to be aligned with international guidelines.

"Our review found significant gaps in our laws compared to international standards. We are committed to closing these gaps and ensuring that our laws are comprehensive, up-to-date, and focused on child safety”, she said.

Awareness

The Road Safety Consultant, Ekow Wilson Assam, also called for a concerted effort from government bodies, non-governmental organisations, and the media to heighten the awareness about the use of seatbelts and child restraints Systems (CRS) in the country.

That, he expressed the belief, would help minimise the impact of road crashes and reduce injuries and fatalities in the country.

"By investing in preventive measures like CRS, we are also reducing the long-term financial strain on government, healthcare systems and families," he added.

Requirements

Mr Wilson-Asaam said there was the need to adopt and adapt a framework that aligned the age, weight and size of children with appropriate restraint systems.

"Keeping children in age- and size-appropriate seats until they outgrow the manufacturer's weight and height requirements is critical," he said.

He advocated strict checks on any modifications of CRS and seatbelts in vehicles to ensure that all installations met safety standards.

Mr Wilson-Asaam also recommended that enforcement agencies, including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), cracked down on vehicles that converted cargo spaces into passenger areas without the appropriate safety mechanisms.