Accidents are caused by drivers, not bad roads - Ebo Hammond

The president of the Chartered Institute of Technology and Transport, Ebo Hammond, has indicated that accidents across the country are caused by drivers and not as a result of bad roads.

Mr. Hammond made this known in an interview with DAILY GUIDE on Wednesday in Accra on the sidelines of the 2018 edition of the Ghana Transport and Logistic Conference.

According to him, vehicular accidents in the country are mostly caused by recklessness on the part of some drivers contrary to the widely held perception that poor road networks are responsible for the numerous crashes.

He opined, “The Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) cannot be everywhere so the cause comes back to the drivers because they are holding the steering wheel. As a sensible person, you don’t need to overtake any car when you see danger ahead.”

“In Ghana, there is a paradox that when roads are constructed and they are first class, there are more accidents; so bad roads in Ghana do not cause all the accidents. Bad roads make people slow down. Driving is not for illiterates and most of these drivers are not educated or even gone through driving schools,” he added.

Meanwhile, he offered some suggestions to curtail road accidents in Ghana, noting that “In resolving them, we need to be sure of the type of vehicles that go on the road.”

Mr. Hammond called for punishment to be meted out to drivers who violate traffic regulations, lamenting that some drivers were in the habit of engaging in drink-driving and speeding.

The Conference

Earlier, in a speech read on his behalf at the conference themed: “Evolution of An Effective Transport and Logistics Value for Accelerated Development,” Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo, observed that “when transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive effects such as better accessibility to markets and additional investment.”

The Ghana Transport and Logistic Conference was initiated in 2017 by Ridmut Consult Limited in collaboration with the ministries of Aviation and Transport, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Airport Company and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ghana.