Western Region GPRTU rolls out road safety measures ahead of December polls

he Western Regional secretariat of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has rolled out safety measures to curtail road accidents before, during and after the December polls.

The Regional Chairman, Nana Kwesi Kodua Apreku, in an interview with the GNA in Takoradi, said the secretariat was holding workshops to sensitize drivers to be vigilant during the campaign activities.

He said drawing lessons from previous years, they had asked the drivers to be cautious to help reduce the number of road accidents.

Touching on peace before, during and after elections, the Regional Chairman said a sensitization programme was held to enlighten the drivers to remain neutral while carrying out their duties.

He said drivers were advised to desist from holding unhealthy political discussions in their vehicles.

Nana Apreku said drivers were also cautioned not to entertain passengers who engaged in negative political discourse as it could lead to conflict and accidents.

He said although the drivers had their preferred political parties, they had been asked to desist from wearing branded political party T-shirts while on duty.

Nana Apreku, however, explained that a driver could wear a political party T-Shirt if a party hired the vehicle for private activities.

He said the drivers were also trained to prioritize safety above financial gains during the Christmas holidays.

Nana Apreku stressed the need for drivers to rest well and to regain energy for their work and cautioned them against drunk-driving during the festive season.

Nana Apreku called on vehicle owners to regularly maintain their vehicles to limit road accidents.

He appealed to the Motor Transport and Traffic Division and the media to assist in enforcing the wearing of seat belts.

Nana Apreku called on the government to ensure the roads were well maintained to prevent accidents.