EASST partner, the Partnership for Road Safety (PfRS) in Georgia have contributed an online crash course in seatbelt use for the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety webinar series on road risk. The course offers information on how seat belts protect you, what myths need to be addressed, and the approach that led to PfRS’s success in reducing road fatalities in Georgia through increasing seat belt use.
The Partnership for Road Safety launched their advocacy campaign to increase seatbelt use in Georgia in 2007. In 2010, through building effective coalitions between public and private actors, the project contributed to establishing legislation that makes the use of front-seat seat belts mandatory in all vehicles in Georgia. These efforts have contributed to a measurable reduction in road fatalities and impressive increases in the use of seat belts and other protections. In 2011, as a result of the new law, 98% of drivers and 97% of front passengers on the highways were recorded as using seat belts. In Tbilisi, the figure rose to 95% compared to just 1% previously!
*Lika Merabishvilli from the Partnership for Road Safety is a 2016 Alliance Advocate. Read more about the Alliance Advocate programme here.
