Kintampo accident: Regional Minister proposes mandatory stopovers for drivers

Correspondence from Bono East Region

The Bono East Regional Minister, Kwasi Adu-Gyan, is proposing the introduction of mandatory stopovers for drivers to curb the frequent road accidents on the Kintampo-Tamale highway.

If implemented, the measure will require drivers to take breaks or stop at specific intervals while traveling on the stretch to help reduce driver fatigue and improve road safety.

The move to implement mandatory stopovers for drivers comes after a fatal accident involving a Yendi-Kumasi bound bus and a trailer truck on Sunday, March 5, 2023, in between Babatokuma and Kintampo claimed twenty-one lives on the spot with one later dying at the hospital.

Speaking at the accident scene, Kwasi Adu-Gyan, indicated that the plan is one of the many interventions that his outfit will be implementing to reduce the carnage on that stretch.

He disclosed that most of the gory accidents involve vehicles traveling long distances so they are going to implement some measures which will be aimed at saving lives.

“One thing in the pipeline is the introduction of a mandatory stop because this driver was from Yendi and got involved in an accident here so it could be that the driver was exhausted or tired, it could be any of these things”.

He added that government will also be stepping up the upgrading of the Kintampo Government Hospital due to its strategic location to be able to attend to critical accident cases that occur on the stretch.

“Another thing we plan to do as a government is to facilitate the upgrading of the Kintampo Hospital to handle critical accident cases”.

Accidents on Kintampo-Tamale highway

The Kintampo-Tamale highway has gained a reputation for being one of the deadliest roads in the country.

According to statistics, the highway has been responsible for claiming the lives of over 150 individuals since 2016.

In February 2016, a head-on collision between a Metro Mass bus and a truck resulted in 53 fatalities and 23 injuries.

Similarly, fatal accidents in March 2019 and March 2020 claimed 57 and 27 lives respectively.