Huge amounts spent on road safety annually

Agona Swedru, July 2, GNA- Road users have been urged to justify the huge amount of money being spent annually on road safety campaigns, Mr. Noble Appiah, Acting Executive Secretary of National Road Safety Commission has said.

He said very little was achieved due to the failure of road users to avoid accidents and therefore, called on all and sundry to help curb the incidence for the benefit of the nation. Mr Appiah announced this when he addressed the members of the Agona District Road Safety Committee as part of his tour of the Central Region.

The Acting Executive Secretary said last year the commission targeted over speeding and over loading, which he said were identified as contributory factors of fatalities on the highways. According to him, a survey conducted by the Commission last year indicated that accident rates on the roads had reduced drastically but said this year, the Commission has targeted pedestrians and occupant of buses.

Mr. Appiah stated that African governments, including Ghana had targeted the year 2015 to reduce road accidents by 50 percent. He said, with regard to this, the government has intensified the road safety campaign in order to achieve the target. The Acting Executive Secretary pointed out that the campaign would be extended to churches, mosques, schools, markets and accident wards of hospitals on how best they could help to reduce the accidents on the road.

Mrs. Mary Obiri-Yeboah, an executive member of the Commission expressed concern about excessive speeding by some drivers of Metro Mass Transit (MMT) and urged the management to check the practice.

Mr. Kobina Nkrumah, Awutu-Effutu- Senya District Director of Driving and Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) cautioned car owners to stop using plain metals for the erection of car seats to prevent loss of lives during accidents.

Mr Thomas Boakye, Central and western Regions Director of the National Road Safety Commission expressed regret about the non-functioning of the District Road Safety Committees inaugurated at the Winneba-Junction recently and appealed to the surrounding District Assemblies to support the Committees to operate.