More lives have been lost to road accidents in 2017 - NRSC

The Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Ing. May Obiri Yeboah, has admitted that the number of road accidents recorded in 2017 have been alarming.

Making a comparative analysis between 2016 and this year, Mrs. Obiri Yeboah confessed that there has not been an improvement in road safety in the country.

This situation, she said, has compelled the commission to be stringent on the implementation of road safety measures this year.

She disclosed this at the launch of the 2017 Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign at the Neoplan Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

“Generally, there has not been an improvement in the statistics. Those who have died, those who have been injured, the number of vehicles involved, the statistics have been very bad for us this year. That is why we are poised this Christmas season to ensure that, even one death we are not going to allow it,” Mrs. Obiri Yeboah declared.

Enumerating some factors responsible for the surge in accident statistics this year, the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission admitted that it would be difficult to do so since no research has been conducted to that effect.

“It will be difficult at this stage because we will have to do a real research and survey on it. We had expected that after the elections this year should have gone down. That is the normal trend. Unfortunately, this year has gone up. Some studies have to be made to see what happened,” she explained.

Mrs. Obiri Yeboah called on the general public to assist the commission in its pursuit of an accident-free festive season.

“So we expect everybody to support us. National Road Safety and its stakeholders cannot do it alone. We need the general public to support us in that direction”, she pleaded.

The 2017 Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign was launched by the National Road Safety Commission, in partnership with Patients Friend Foundation, an NGO which provides health services through social mobilization, education, screening and treatment with the help of individuals, corporate bodies, stakeholders and sponsorship.