Efforts to stem spate of accidents in the Central Region

Cape Coast, April 21, GNA - Stakeholders in the transport sector the Police in the Central Region have collaborated to combat the spate of road accidents in the Region, particularly during the impending Easter holidays.

The stakeholders include the National Road Safety Commission, the Central Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, Drivers and Vehicle License Authority and the National Motor Traffic Transport Unit. They embarked on road safety operations at Anokyin on the Cape Coast-Mankessim highway on Monday, to ascertain the state of vehicles, knowledge of drivers on road signs, and checked driving licenses, fire extinguishers, warning triangles, and spare tyres, which was witnessed by journalists from various media houses in the Region. licenses, fire extinguishers, spare tyres and were driving vehicles with faulty brakes.

Mr. Steven Anokye, Central Regional Road Safety Manager, said the exercise aimed at ensuring discipline on the road and compliance of road safety laws and regulations as the Easter festivity draws closer. He said the Cape Coast-Accra highway was being given greater attention because it records the highest number of motor accidents in the Region due to it busy nature, and noted that April and December were the prime months for lorry accidents in the country. Mr Anokye said proactive steps were being taken by the team to reduce motor accident in the second quarter of the year by at least 25 per cent of that of the first quarter of 263 accidents with 71 deaths. Superintendent Tanor Aduhene, Central Regional MTTU Commander, said some drivers deliberately ignored road safety rules endangering the lives of passengers and pedestrians and vowed that the team would clamp down on recalcitrant and reckless drivers and motorists. Superintendent Hans Evans Setsor of the National MTTU, explained that the exercise was to educate drivers on traffic rules as well as enforce laws on motor traffic, and said offenders would be arrested and prosecuted at court to serve as a deterrent to others. He said the operation would be carried out on all major roads in the country and sustained after Easter. The driver of a driver of a Yutong bus with registration number GT 4927-11 and travelling from Takoradi to Accra was arrested.