Road Safety Council operates only from Port Moresby

 By BENNY GETENG

THE National Road Safety Council is yet to open offices in other parts of the country, chairman Joe Wemin says.

Wemin said they were only operating in Port Moresby.

“The council operations are supposed to cover the whole of Papua New Guinea but it is not happening at present,” he said.

“The council is a very important function of the state because they are able to save lives and save the state money, especially on road accidents.

“The road safety council collects only the 5% levy tax from Motor Vehicle Insurance Ltd (MVIL) which is not sufficient to sustain and conduct their operations in the provinces.

“It is a national function which needs adequate budgetary support from the government to expand its operations in the country.”

He said council officers were tasked with detecting faulty vehicles that posed risks to passengers and pedestrians.

They also work with the police traffic unit to ensure that road safety is observed and enforced.

Wemin, who is the chief executive officer of the MVIL, said the company paid between K14 million and K17 million annually on vehicle insurance to car owners, which was very costly.

“This indicator shows that there is a very clear message that road accidents are costly, and, it is very important that we enforce road safety to reduce the number of road accidents in the country,” he said.