Speeding and driver fatigue cause of MMT bus accident-NRSC

Accra, Nov. 4, GNA- The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) probe into the fatal accident that involved a Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus on the Ada-Tema highway on August 16, 2010 has identified speeding and driver fatigue as the main causes of that misfortune. The findings indicated weaknesses in driver control systems at the MMT, revealing that the driver of the MMT bus at the time of the crash had been arrested a week earlier by the Aveyime Police for reckless driving and suspected drink driving.

A statement issued by the NRSC in Accra on Wednesday faulted the MMT for not conducting an investigation or applying the appropriate sanctions though the company was fully aware of the arrest of one of its drivers for reckless driving, calling for a full-scale investigation to determine why management failed to act on the issue. It said the driver, who was sixty-one years old, should not have been assigned intercity transport services by the MMT. Thus the NRSC has recommended that, as an immediate intervention, all MMT vehicles should be installed with speed limiters to regulate the "excessive and inappropriate speed of the buses" It has also suggested that where speed limiters have been installed, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) should be tasked to perform periodic checks on the functionality of the devices. The NRSC has recommended that all drivers of the MMT company should be made to undergo periodic skills improvement training to enable them appreciate vehicles in their fleet. It has also advocated the implementation of an effective technologically-based route monitoring and tracking at the MMT to monitor driver behaviour.

The NRSC has urged the MMT institute periodic medical examination programmes to conduct vision test especially for drivers over 60 years in their employ of the company, and advised that drivers over that age should be assigned only intra-city transport services. It asked the management of the MMT to ensure that drivers engaged in intercity travel covering trips of 50 kilometres and above do not exceed the seating capacity of the vehicle. Fifteen people died on the spot and four others at the Battor Catholic Hospital when the MMT bus they were travelling from Mepe to Accra, ran into a stationary truck on August 16, 2010 on the Ada-Tema Highway.