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Christmas is fast approaching, don’t drive with death, drive with safety

31625468 Accident on Ghana roads

Sun, 18 Dec 2022 Source: Joel Savage

Christmas is coming up soon; drive carefully and don't take any extra chances. Since we had been shielded by the omnipotent, mighty God during the preceding months, December should have been a joyful month for everyone, unfortunately, more accidents are reported on Ghanaian roads, and more people do not survive to see the start of the New Year.

Even though road accidents in Ghana have killed more lives than any other epidemic, including COVID-19, which the government blames for the country's failed economy, nothing significant has been done to lower traffic accidents there. No matter the situation, a government that genuinely cares about the welfare of its citizens and their development would always work to improve their quality of life.

The ModernGhana website published this writer's article titled "10 Driving Mistakes In Ghana Attributing To Road Accidents" on March 26, 2019. The same writer published, "In Ghana today, if you are not killed by a traffic accident, armed robbers will cut your life short," on August 30, 2021. No matter the difficulties one experiences, if you love and care about your nation, you won't give up. For that reason, on August 6, 2018, I wrote: "Make Ghana Roads Safe With Belgium Road Safety Plan."

This particular article requesting the Ghanaian government to make Ghana roads safe with the Belgium road safety plans should have been the best for the Ghanaian government because it reduces road accidents and also generates tax for the government. For example, just last month, I paid Euros 62.00 to the police because I exceeded my speed in a 50 kilometers zone.

As I know they do it to lessen traffic accidents and use the money raised to develop the nation, I paid right away. More significantly, if you don't pay the fine, they'll send you a second letter to remind you, and if you ignore that reminder and don't pay the fine again, they'll double it to Euros 124.00.

Since the politicians lacked common sense, Africa, which has all the resources, the continent is impoverished while Europe and America are like heaven. The number of drunk drivers on Ghanaian roads continues to worry me, thus on June 6, 2019; I published "Can Breathalyzer Be Useful In Ghana To Reduce Road Accidents? The European police employ breathalyzers to remove dangerous drunk drivers from the road, making it safer for all other road users, including pedestrians.

Alcoholic drivers in Belgium frequently get their licenses suspended and are subject to severe fines by the police. As a result, the driver has also paid a tax and been penalized. I wrote "Why Night Travel in Ghana Is Often Dangerous" on January 24, 2019. With all these publications, readers may see my attempts to improve road safety in Ghana, but that isn't the end of it.

I posed the question: “When will Ghana Police Introduce A Breathalyzer Test To Arrest Drunk Drivers?,” on March 3, 2022, with another article. This is due to the Ghanaian government's preference for corruption over citizens' safety. I've repeatedly demonstrated that in prior publications. I published “Making Bicycle A Safe Means Of Transport In Ghana,” on September 20, 2020.

The purpose of this article is to encourage motorists to refrain from honking at cyclists because they are also required to utilize the roadways. More importantly, I pleaded with the government to consider cycling lanes when building new roads because they also help to relieve traffic congestion.

On August 3, 2018, I published "Ghanaian Road Users Can File A Claim Against The Government For Bad Roads" because road users in Ghana are unaware of their legal obligations that they can sue the government for the dangerous conditions of roads that keep killing them. Because Ghana's citizens are led by corrupt, evil, and greedy officials, the law does not function in the nation. As a result, I must write for ordinary Ghanaians to make the law function there.

“Adentan-Madina Highway - The Government Must Impose A Fine On Violators,” is what I wrote on July 25, 2019. It was an article that aims at the government to detain and fine those who violate the law to generate tax. There are several ways to generate tax to bring sanity to Ghanaian roads that the government has no idea about them.

The government is unaware of many potential sources of revenue that may be used to finance the improvement of Ghana's roads.

Finally, I published "So You Think You Know How To Drive?" on May 22, 2018. That article is significant because, despite getting my first driver's license in Ghana on December 5, 1976, when I was 19 years old, I failed my driving test three times in Belgium before getting my license.

I'm providing all of these references so that the police and government of Ghana are aware of the necessity to take action on the nation's roadways to prevent or lessen traffic accidents. The government can put up road signs to warn motorists, but that is insufficient; the effort must be increased by utilizing breathalyzers and placing speed monitoring cameras to stop drivers who are driving too fast and under the influence of alcohol.

I want to wish a happy and safe Christmas to everyone, both those who appreciate and dislike this writer. Please make an effort to mediate any family disputes that may arise. Next year January 1, 2023, marks 30 years my wife and I have been married, while not simple to accomplish, it has been made much easier because I treat her with the respect she merits as a woman and for our three sons. Give your women and husbands the same treatment. Greetings and God bless you all.

Columnist: Joel Savage