The Ministry of works in conjunction with the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has embarked upon a Socially Inclusive Road Safety Awareness Communication Strategy. The goal of the campaign is to change the behavior of drivers of Government vehicles in terms of seatbelt wearing in an effort to achieve one hundred percent compliance by 2030.

During a recent meeting, the National Road Safety Council endorsed a total of three campaigns. These include the Government Agency Seat-belt Campaign targeting drivers and passengers of Government vehicles, A National Road Safety Council Logo and slogan competition for tertiary students and a Seat-belt behavior change campaign for the general public.

The meeting featured spirited dialogue between Council members representing eight Government agencies. A recent local study found that fewer than four out of ten Government vehicle drivers wear a seat belt. This means that sixty percent of Government vehicle drivers do not wear a seatbelt.

The same study also revealed that improving seat-belt use in vehicles will reduce insurance costs and also provide a positive behavior model because wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by up to fifty percent for front seat occupants and up to seventy five percent for rear seat occupants.

Antigua and Barbuda are signatories of the United Nations 2030 Global Road Safety Voluntary Performance Targets. The next step in the Socially Inclusive Road Safety Awareness Communication Strategy is a series of workshops targeting civil society groups. These interactive workshops will serve to inform the National Road Society Council’s priorities.

The outcomes from these working sessions will determine how the National Road Safety Council proceeds with efforts for safer Roads in Antigua and Barbuda.