Accident-free Easter in three regions – NRSC

Mr Kwasi Agyenim Boateng, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Head of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) on Wednesday, applauded its collaborators for their constant support towards bringing sanity on the highways before, during and after the Easter festivities.

He said the Commission did not record any major road crash in the three regions during the Easter festivities and praised the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) for being proactive.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Boateng also commended drivers, motorists, pedestrian, road agencies and all road users and transport unions for the feat, and expressed the hope that discipline on roads would improved to minimize crashes and fatalities.

He said the NRSC in collaboration with the police MTTD and the DVLA intensified road education and enforcement exercises on accident prone highways – Techiman-Kintampo, Sunyani-Goaso, Sunyani-Berekum, and Duayaw-Nkwanta-Bechem highways, before, during and after the Easter festivities and he was hopeful that with support from the collaborators the exercise would be continued.

Mr Boateng observed that the use of tricycles remained an emerging problem in the three regions, noting that many of the riders did not have licenses and had little knowledge on road signs and regulations and thereby contributing to road accidents.

He said the problem was rife in Goaso, Duayaw-Nkwanta, Bechem, Chiraa, Berekum, Nkoranza, Techiman, Drobo, Jinijini, Kenyasi, Hwidiem and Mim, adding that more than 200 tricycle riders benefited from the road safety education programme at Mim, where the problem had worsened.

Mr Boateng said though the Commission and its stakeholders have held several road safety education programmes for the tricycle users, the situation seemed insurmountable, and called for police enforcement and prosecution of road traffic offenders.

Aside tollbooth education and enforcement, terminal outreaches and one-on-one driver and passenger education, he explained that the Commission had extended road safety education to churches and mosques.

Mr Boateng reminded the people that road crashes and fatalities had no social class, and appealed to church and Muslim leaders to use their platforms to talk and sensitize their congregants on road safety issues.

He lauded the implementation of the Government’s Nation Builders Corp (NaBCo) programme, which he added had improved on the personnel strength of the NRSC, and remained relevant to the Commission in its road safety education programmes.