Klao Bell, Staff Reporter
MOST motorists on Jamaican roads are breaking the law, but that's because of ignorance rather than defiance says National Road Council (NRC), Executive Director Paula Fletcher.
"There is a misconception about what applies in law, there are people travelling in the same car with persons in the front complying and those in the back are not," said Mrs. Fletcher said."We don't think that people are flouting the law, they are just not aware."
In at least six cases she's right. The Sunday Gleaner asked 10 persons if they were aware that the law requires that they wear seat belts while travelling in the back of a car, only four were.
"Inna di back? fi wah? Doesn't the law say it's not necessary? As far as I know it isn't necessary - if it is, then how come it's not enforced," exclaimed Lorraine Saunders.
Handel Brown, a driver for 20 years said, "Yeah mi know bout the law yes, but them (police) not really draw card fi dat. Only if a baby roun a di back though you have to belt them down."
Compliance
In 1999, the seat-belt law was passed with little protest from the public. At that time there was a high rate of compliance which has been growing ever since.
The last available survey, done in 1999 shows that 86 per cent of motorists was obeying the law.
But since that time there was misunderstanding about its requirements of passengers who travel in the back.
"Taxi drivers objected to the requirement that persons in the back should buckle-up as it limited the number of persons that could be carried. The Minister of Transport (Dr. Peter Phillips) then asked the police to give consideration to taxi drivers. But other motorists thought that law applied to them as well," Mrs. Fletcher said.
She said this consideration to taximen confused other motorists and the Ministry of Transport needs to make clear its position on how the seat-belt law applies to taximen.
The Road Traffic Act states that persons in the front and back seats should wear their seat-belts.
Persons caught without seat-belts are ticketed and have to pay $500, while those whose vehicles don't have belts are fined $500. The driver of a car can be fined $1,000 if a child is travelling in the vehicle without being buckled in.
If they refuse to comply, they are taken to court where they are required to pay fines of up to $2,000. Corporal D. Grant of the Traffic Court says at least five seat-belt cases are heard daily.
Lenient
Corporal Grant also said that police officers tend to be lenient with passengers at the back who do not buckle up.
SSP Bryan said some 80,000 persons were ticketed last year for seat-belt violations.
"For the period 2000 to 2001, 4,244 tickets were issued for children not in restraint, 6,910 tickets for passengers travelling without a seatbelt, 2,054 for vehicles not equipped with a seat-belt and 66,900 drivers were ticketed for not wearing their seat-belt," SSP Bryan said.
Mrs. Fletcher said a public education campaign should be mounted to remind people to wear their seat-belts while travelling in the back seats, but the Council does not have the money to finance such a campaign at this time.
"I don't think motorists are convinced that travelling without a seat-belt at the back is as dangerous as the front. But I have seen many fatal accidents where the person at the back is hurled through the windscreen," SSP Bryan said.
