A showdown is brewing between the island’s road traffic managers and taxi drivers regarding the use of seat belts by passengers in the back seat.

According to reliable reports, many taxi drivers fear that they will become targets of the police if that aspect of the law is strictly enforced, as is now being pushed by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC).

“It shouldn’t be an issue,” NRSC executive director Paula Fletcher told Auto yesterday.

“It is an issue because they [taxi drivers] want to take six and seven passengers,” Fletcher charged.

“We discussed it at the last meeting of the NRSC and the consensus is that back-seat passengers must be belted,” she declared.

“We are not backing off … the law requires that all passengers in a motor car must use a seat belt,” Fletcher insisted.

Enforcement of the use of seat belts for back-seat passengers has been relaxed for years, with more emphasis placed on the driver and front-seat passenger.

Director of the Transport Ministry’s Road Safety Unit (RSU) Kenute Hare yesterday also endorsed strict enforcement of the lax back-seat law, reminding that section 43 of the Road Traffic Act states that all passengers in a motor car must wear a seat belt.

“One of the major challenges of the RSU over the past 10 years has been to develop the consciousness among drivers and passengers that they are to wear their seatbelts,” said Hare, adding that passengers, should take responsibilty for their safety.

“The problem is more acute among back-seat passengers in motor cars who in many instances refuse to wear their seatbelt,” he added.

Admitting that some taxi drivers are against the NRSC move, Hare said, however, that the Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators (JATOO) has given its support to the renewed thrust to enforce the law.

“Police are not harassing anybody,” Hare commented. “They are just ensuring that passengers are transported safely in the traffic environment”.

For his part, JATOO general secretary Egeton Barton told Auto that he was for the enforcement of the law but noted most taxis were old vehicles and were not equipped with seat belts in the back.

“Eighty per cent of taxis on the road do not carry seat belts in the back,” Barton contended.

He argued that retrofitting vehicles posed a problem for taxi drivers because of the cost and availability of seat belts.

“Only a few places in Jamaica sell it and they are charging up to $12,000 for one seat belt,” Barton said. “The cost is a major problem.”

But despite the predicament of taxi drivers, enforcement of the seat belt law will nonetheless see an increase in unbelted back-seat passengers being ticketed by the police.

“JATOO welcomes the idea,” Barton said yesterday. However, he suggested that the traffic authorities give taxi drivers 12 months to retrofit vehicles before fully enforcing the law.

“Right now you’ll find that most of the taxi drivers are not able to fix their vehicles,” Barton argued.