Eighty per cent of road accidents caused by human error - Statistics

According to the National Road Safety Commission accident statistics for 2018, about 80 per cent of road accidents are caused by human errors.

Speeding, drunk-driving, lack of vehicle maintenance, bad road design and construction contribute only 20 per cent.

Mr Oswald Lavoe, the Executive Director and Chairman of Street Sense Organisation (SSO) said this in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of reflective vests in Accra.

The reflective vests are to be worn by traffic wardens who direct vehicles at traffic congested areas in the country.

Mr Lavoe said these startling statistics was not only appalling, but a threat to the socio-economic development agenda of the country.

"It is heart bleeding that our nation continues to lose a chunk of its youth and energetic human capital through road accidents," he said.

He, therefore, appealed to all road users to be extra careful on the road and take the necessary precautionary measures to make the roads safe for a better Ghana.

He pledged SSO's commitment to its vision of partnering the National Road Safety Commission, the Police MTTD and other road safety management organisations to ensure sanity and safety on the roads.

Mr Lavoe noted that the overall impact of the initiative was to ensure greater safety for traffic wardens and to ease traffic on the road.

The Executive Director announced that SSO had committed substantial amount of resources over the last five years for the printing of educational materials as its way of supporting the NRSC to educate the citizenry and also to caution particularly drivers about the devastating effect of road accident.

"We will continue to intensify education across all lorry stations in Accra and other parts of the country to sensitise drivers and pedestrians”.

He said as part of the educations, SSO would launch a Helmet and seatbelt campaign to educate cyclists and motorists to help curb motor accident on the road.

Mr Lavoe said already 27 organisations, institutions and Churches had benefitted from the reflective vest’s initiative on a pilot basis.

He, therefore, expressed their gratitude to Enus Company Limited for donating the vests as part of its corporate social responsibility and also St. Martins Hotel for donation g a brand-new double cabin Nissan 4x4 pick-up to SSO.

Superintendent of Police Samuel Sasu Mensah from Police MTTD, said his outfit has put in strategies to ensure zero tolerance on accident during and after the Easter festivities.

He said they would deploy massive road patrol swots to check road traffic offenses as well as educate both drivers and motorists to ensure sanity on the road.

"There will be snap check points on the road to check papers, speeding and drank-driving," he said adding that drivers who speed would be arrested and prosecuted.

Madam Catherine Hamolton, Greater Accra Regional Manager, NRSC said almost 700 people have lost their lives through road accidents this year.

She appealed to drivers to reduce the speed and should not drive when they feel tired.

She also advised them to desist from taking illicit drugs which, she said would only affect their health.

Mrs Gloria Laryea a retired educationist, said the carnage on the road called for national concern and appealed to all stakeholders to come on board to reduce the accidents on the road.