Kintampo accident: Youtong driver was micro-sleeping – MTTD

Director of Education Research and Training of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Alexander Obeng has said that preliminary investigation into the Kintampo accident revealed that Yutong bus driver was micro sleeping.

35 people died in the head-on collision involving the Youtong bus and a Tamale bound vehicle on Monday with 29 of the victims burnt beyond recognition.

According to him, because the driver was embarking on a long journey, fatigue stepped in and he veered off his lane into the Tamale-bound vehicle.

Speaking on the Morning Starr with Francis Abban Wednesday, Supt. Obeng said the department will soon implement a policy where inter-city transit vehicle drivers and motorists would have to rest, refresh and stretch the body for 30 minutes within every four-hour journey to prevent fatigue resulting in sleeping.

Answering questions on whether there is the need to regulate transport operators and drivers, he said: “to regulate such behaviour requires registration of transport operators and drivers license but such policy is yet to be implemented.”

“Before this is done, we are appealing to drivers to always have enough rest to prevent such avoidable accidents on our roads,” he stated.

Supt Obeng said in the interim, the department is going to deploy its Accident Prevention Squad on various roads in the country to conduct inspections.

“Now the best approach is to have institutional framework to regulate such policies,” he stated.