by Quinton Alomp, EM TV News – Port Moresby
The increasing number of deaths from road accidents has raised questions on why road safety authorities are allowing PMV trucks to load passengers, when they have no seat belts.
Porgera District Administrator, Mori Iarume, said seat belts must be installed in all PMV trucks and buses that ferry people to and from destination points.
Reported cases of road accidents have increased in the last decade resulting in more than 300 to 500 men and women killed every year.
Many of these accidents involve PMV trucks and buses.
Concerns have been raised on why road safety authorities and the police traffic unit are promoting road safety, in particular seat belts for drivers and cabin crew, but not the passengers.
Mr Iarume said PMV bus and trucks must have seat belts for passengers.
“We use road every day and road safety must be everyone’s business,” he said.
The District Administrator said road safety is paramount, and passengers must not compromise safety by sitting in public motor vehicles, without seatbelts.
More than 300 people die every year in road accidents in the country.
According to the National Road Safety Council, more than a thousand sustain serious injuries and some remain paralysed after road accidents.
The government spends over K2 million annually to compensate victims.
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