11 - 17 January 2001
Issue No.516
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 11 - 17 January 2001 Issue No.516 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Choosing the right belt
Before buying a seat belt, make sure you are getting the right one. This is the wrong helmet because it's not designed for motorcyclists. You are using your mobile phone without the hand-free device, so you'll definitely get a traffic ticket. These are samples of the favourite topic of conversation among Egyptians these days. In the week since the new traffic law was enforced, the shape of the streets has changed.
The press and media have had a field day with the subject, with most Arabic-language newspapers reporting on drivers' complaints and checking on the number of traffic violations reported by the Ministry of the Interior.
The police campaign is hard to ignore; almost round the clock, and wherever you go, you are sure to find officers conducting routine checks on seat belts and helmets, and imposing immediate penalties on offenders
The new traffic law was promulgated in January 2000. One of its provisions obliges front seat occupants to fasten safety belts, motorcycle riders to wear helmets, and that motorists use only mobile phones equipped with a hand-free set. These provisions only took effect on the first day of this year, following a one-year grace period designed to allow owners of old vehicles time to install belts.
Although the harsh penalties imposed by the new law forced the majority of motorists to comply, the Egyptian habit of delaying matters until the last minute caused chaos in the seat belt and helmet markets.
It was only a few weeks ago that most motorists realised the grace period was over, or about to be over, and that soon there would be police checks and harsh penalties for offenders. There was a rush to the markets for seat belts and helmet -- under any guise.
A fine of between LE100 and LE 200 is imposed on front seat-occupants who fail to buckle up, and licences will be withdrawn if the offence is repeated within six months.
This provided vehicle accessory traders with a golden opportunity to raise the prices of seat belts and helmets. A good example was to be seen in the downtown Tawfikiya market -- the main place to buy automobile accessories and spare parts -- which was thronged by hundreds of car drivers and motorcyclists.
As a result, seat belt and helmet prices soared beyond all reason, leaving one vendor with a net profit of LE31,000 on a single day.
The Tawfikiya market used to sell three kinds of belts: Chinese, Turkish and Italian. But since, as the saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention", a fourth type, the Egyptian, has emerged on the market.
According to Ahmed Megahed, owner of a vehicle accessory shop, the price of the Chinese-made belt did not exceed LE25 before the crisis, but suddenly jumped to LE40 on 1 January, then to LE70, finally reaching LE200 within a week. As for the Turkish-made ones, Megahed continued, their prices jumped from LE40 to LE100 and then to more than LE200.
The Italian belts, which are the most expensive, began at the price of LE60, but have now almost vanished from the market because their prices exceeded LE300, and they were spared for those who could afford them.
On this crazy market, some street vendors exploited the opportunity and started manufacturing cloth seat belts -- which do not meet the required safety standards -- selling them for LE50. Originally, such belts sold for LE5.
"This kind of seat belt is primarily purchased by taxi and microbus drivers who apparently failed to comprehend why the law was passed in the first place," spare part vendor Ismail Metwalli said. "Not everyone understands that using the wrong belt can kill. I warn my customers, but then it's up to them to choose."
Taxi drivers interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly explained that they were waiting for the prices to go down in a month or so, and maybe then they could afford the price of a proper belt. "The prices are unaffordable for people like us, living from hand to mouth. We all make installments to pay repairs. How can we afford to pay hundreds of pounds for a seat belt?" one taxi-driver asked.
Seat belt jokes abound. In the daily Al-Akhbar newspaper, a cartoon portrayed a family fastening their seat belts as they sat on the armchairs in their drawing room. The caption read: "This is the most up-to-date photo of the home of the chief of the traffic department."
Apart from those who cannot afford to pay for a seat belt, there are others who cannot find the right size. One policeman stopped a car and asked the driver why his belt wasn't buckled, only to be told: "Because my stomach got in the way."
As for helmets, their prices jumped from LE70 to LE220, a price out of reach to most motorcyclists. To overcome the problem, many are wearing sub-standard helmets usually reserved for factory workers. The latter, which cover only the head, are designed to protect workers from falling objects. A proper motorcycle helmet is relatively larger, with a metal part covering the head and a plastic shield covering the face.
Those using the wrong helmets are being stopped by police and either fined instantly or granted another opportunity to acquire the right helmet, depending on the excuse they give.
The new law has triggered mixed public reaction. Some think the imposition of harsh penalties will force people to abide by the law, while others believe the new law will be useless unless people are acquainted with the importance for their own safety of its provisions. They also say the law should be enforced without exception, especially on vehicles affiliated to police or governmental bodies.
Officials have said repeatedly that there will be no discrimination.
According to Major-General Maher El-Meqawel, head of the traffic department, Cairo has had the lion's share of the number of violations, with 5,097 drivers found to be not using seat belts and 1,396 motorcycle riders not wearing helmets. By contrast, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria was the most disciplined, scoring only 35 violations for seat belts and 18 for helmets.
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