8,815 drivers in Ashanti upgrade their skills

A two-day intensive training designed to aid drivers to upgrade their skills and competency to ensure safety on the roads has ended in Kumasi.

A total of 8, 815 drivers selected from 15 districts across the Ashanti Region - all of them members of the Ghana Private Roads and Transport Union (GPRTU), benefitted.

The Council for Technical, Vocational and Educational Training (COTVET) provided the funding.

Dr. Godfred Akyea-Darkwa, Chief Executive Officer, Road Safety and Transportation Consultancies (RSTC), the facilitators, said it was important to continue to assist all to do the right things to make the roads safe for everybody.

He said although there had been significant reduction in road fatalities in the region that should not make anybody complacent.

Drivers and other road users needed to work hard, heed safety education and tit bits, to keep road crashes and the resultant deaths, cuts and broken bones, on a downward trend.

He said as the nation edged towards general elections and political activities gathered momentum, it was vital for drivers to be more careful and exercised good judgement on the roads.

Alhaji Yaw Manu, former National Chairman of the GPRTU, said the nationwide training which began in year 2005, was showing positive results and recommended its expansion to include other driver associations.

That, he said, was the way forward to bring down recklessness on the roads.

Mr. Scarlett Gborbidze, the Ashanti Regional Manager, Driver Vehicle and licensing Authority (DVLA), advised that the training was sustained.

He encouraged the beneficiaries to put into practice the skills they had been exposed to.

Mr. Simon Atakpa, Project Coordinator, underlined the need for transport operators to properly maintain their vehicles.