I cannot but admire the newly found discipline on the part of drivers, majority of whom you find these days having strapped their seat belts, an act that hitherto was the preserve of a few conscious drivers.

All of this consciousness I have observed was not but through an effective collaboration on the part of two outfits; the Ghana Police Service on one hand and the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) on the other hand.

Drivers; be they with private vehicles, the highly ‘recalcitrant’ public transport drivers (trotro and taxi) would barely sit behind the steering wheel without strapping their seat belt as is required.

Indeed, seat belts may not necessarily be the reason for a rise in or lessening of the reports of accidents considering that there may be other contributory factors amongst which are over speeding, bad maintenance, bad tyres and driver indiscipline.

However, I deduce two advantages from the current state of affairs (i.e. adherence to seat belts): LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DISCIPLINE.

The former relative to seat belts is/was and has always been on the law books albeit drives to ensure people abided by the law was scanty and lacking any consistency whatsoever, time and again; leading to a reversion to dissent for the law.

In a time that the Police and NRSC decided to embark on this mission, drivers have come to accept it as a necessity and in reciprocity have exhibited a sense of discipline in abiding by the ‘compulsory’ seat belt rule.

It is refreshing that trotro drivers especially, most of whose ramshackle cars are without functional seat belts, try to get something to strap, indicative of the fact that they have come to accept that wearing these belts are non-negotiable as are the brakes.

We can certainly not lose sight of the fact that several members of civil society have also helped in this positive and life saving effort. Worthy of note is Joy fm and their ‘Drive Safe’ campaign to get drivers to pledge to be responsible on the road.

The road accidents have become an evil that we can hardly uproot but lessening the spate of crashes and saving a life/lives is a responsibility of every single one. The Police and NRSC are indeed deserving of praise relative to; ‘A Life Saving Service With Integrity.’

© Abdur Rahman Shaban Alfa (Facebook: Alfa Allahguide Shaban)

alfarsenal@yahoo.com/newcguide@gmail.com