Central Region records 524 accidents in first half of 2017

Central Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Rev. David Ampah Bennin, has disclosed that the region recorded 524 accident cases from January to June this year with 844 persons sustaining various degrees of injuries.

According to him, the figure indicates an increase from that of last year during the same period where 369 cases were recorded with 531 persons sustaining injuries.

DCOP Ampah Bennin disclosed this when he opened a capacity building workshop for branch secretaries of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) in Cape Coast organised by the regional secretaries of the union.

He lamented that the development means drivers were not taking the education and precautionary measures being given them seriously.

The regional commander pointed out that the single most significant cause of accident in the country was broken-down vehicles which were often abandoned on the roads.

This, he indicated, accounted for over one quarter of the total deaths recorded during the first half of the year in the region.

He, therefore, charged drivers to make all the necessary efforts to tow their vehicles off the road when it breaks down.

He mentioned some of the causes of accidents as drivers giving their cars out as spare to teenage drivers, Sprinter drivers who drive carelessly, blatant disregard for road traffic regulations, drunk-driving, speeding and running red light among others.

“Let us stop unnecessary racing on the road. We are not competing with anyone. The best driver is the one who has reached his or her destination safely,” he advised.

“With this trend, education on road safety campaign must be intensified by all stakeholders concerned,” he further advised.

DCOP Ampah Bennin revealed that his outfit has embarked on night snap checks on the main Cape Coast-Accra highway to check the recent surge in armed robbery activities on that stretch.

“I’m proud to say that since the night snap checks begun, there has not been a single robbery on that stretch of the road,” he boasted.

The commander explained that the five-day training workshop is aimed at building the capacity of key transport administrators to improve upon their performance.