Every Trip, Every Time.

The Importance of Wearing a Seatbelt

Pictured to the right wearing their seatbelts: CTG staff Oluwabukunmi (Security & Operations Officer in Nigeria), Wafa (Senior Account Manager in Sudan) and Diing (Admin).

Duty of Care is an integral part of CTG’s service. CTG operates in some of the world’s most unstable environments and we strive to provide staff with the highest levels of duty of care, enabling them to focus on the crucial work they do on the ground. One of the most significant risks to life for CTG staff is, however, often overlooked.  

Each year, a huge number of people working in the regions where humanitarian action is most needed lose their lives unnecessarily in road traffic accidents.

The Statistics 

According to the WHO, road traffic accidents are the 8th leading cause of death globally, responsible for approximately 1.3 million preventable deaths each year. The regions in which CTG operates have the highest rates of road traffic accident-related deaths, with the highest rates seen in the Africa Region, followed closely by the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

A quarter of total road traffic accident-related deaths occur in Africa, despite the fact that the continent holds barely 2% of the world’s vehicle fleet. In some of CTG’s key countries of operation, including Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen, more fatal injuries occur through road traffic accidents than through conflict-related injuries. Roughly 47% of people killed in car accidents weren’t wearing a seatbelt. Meaning that by putting on your seatbelt, you could almost double your chances of surviving an accident.  

In some of CTG’s key countries of operation, including Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen, more fatal injuries occur through road traffic accidents then through conflict-related injuries.

The Risks

CTG works on the ground to deliver humanitarian solutions in some of the world’s most complex situations, often in remote and hard-to-reach areas. The risks associated with road travel in conflict-affected regions are extensive. Hijacking, robbery, being caught in conflict crossfire, IEDs and illegal checkpoints are just a few such risks. On top of this, infrastructure is often severely damaged during conflict. Unmarked or untarmacked roads, a lack of traffic management systems and irregular law enforcement on the roads all contribute to dangerous conditions for driving.

These are just a few of the hazards which make road travel in our countries of operation particularly dangerous and highlight the need to mitigate these risks wherever possible.  

The solution to preventing as much as half of these deaths is simple: wear your seatbelt. Every trip. Every time.  

How Can I Help?

Creating a culture around wearing your seatbelt is one of the most effective ways to spread awareness about it, and for this, we need your help.  

Spread the Word

Share this campaign with your colleagues, friends and family. Road travel is so frequent that it is easy to forget that we are risking our lives every time we get in a vehicle. Remind the people around you of the risks and the simple precautions that mitigate these risks.    

Lead by Example

Lead by example: buckling up and asking your fellow vehicle travellers to do the same could save their lives. For drivers and front-seat passengers, wearing a seatbelt reduces the chance of fatal injury by 45-50%, and by 25% for rear-seat passengers. Light truck drivers can reduce their risk of critical injury by 60% just by wearing a seatbelt. Simple but effective precautions such as not starting the vehicle until your passengers are wearing their seatbelts could be the difference between life and death.  

Engage With The Campaign

Get involved in our social media campaign by posting a photo of yourself wearing your seatbelt with the hashtag #EveryTrip #EveryTime on your Instagram and we will repost it on the CTG Instagram story. Share the campaign on your own social media platforms and don’t forget to display your ‘Every Trip, Every Time’ sticker on your vehicle.  

At CTG we take pride in the compassion we show for those affected by crisis across our countries of operation, and for our colleagues who work tirelessly to alleviate the most immediate needs of these people. This compassion is one of our greatest strengths and is vital to the work we do in the humanitarian sector.

CTG staff are united in our company’s EPIC values, to Engage, Pioneer, Improve and Care. The ‘Every Trip, Every Time’ campaign is a call to embody these values, and to show compassion for our colleagues, it could save their lives.  

CTG operates in some of the most high-risk areas across the world, our teams face numerous, significant threats on a daily basis, and we do not need to increase this risk further by failing to take basic precautions. Wearing your seatbelt, and ensuring others do the same is the single most effective way to make an immediate improvement to the safety and well-being of your colleagues. In doing this you could make a fundamental difference to the number of tragic, preventable deaths.  

So next time you get in a vehicle, think: Every trip. Every time.