Deaths increase on roads in the Upper East

Bolgatanga, July 22, GNA - Twenty-two people have, for the first six months of this year died from road accidents in Upper East Region, 109 injured while 153 vehicles involved were damaged. Last year, during the same period, nine people were killed, 57 injured and 89 vehicles involved damaged, Mr Bernard G. Dery, Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Region said the remarkable difference was due to an increase in vehicular traffic during the latter part of last year and this year when the vehicles from Cote d'Ivoire had to pass through the Region to cross the border.
He expressed concern at the numerous road accidents and other motor offences on the road and said it was due mainly to ignorance of road safety regulations, excessive speeding, unnecessary competitions, incompetence and poor conditions of vehicles. He said from January to June this year, 700 motor offence cases have been prosecuted and convicted to a total court fine of 177.1 million cedis.
Mr Dery was speaking on Tuesday in Bolgatanga at a workshop organised for drivers by the National Road Safety Commission on up-grading training for commercial vehicles drivers.
Mr Dery appealed to the Licensing Authorities to take drivers through an in-depth testing before issuing them with license. The workshop is aimed at updating and upgrading the knowledge and skills of commercial vehicle drivers with the hope of reducing road accidents by 20 per cent in the next two years. It is also meant to enlighten drivers and vehicle owners to appreciate the importance of good driver training.
Topics to be treated include, driving environment, which will cover registration license and laws relating to motor transport, vehicle maintenance and management, to cover leadership skills, time management and inter personal skills. During an open forum, some of the drivers wanted to know why after driving through so many police check points from Tema or Accra up to the North, the police in the Region still find faults like over loading with cargo and articulator trucks. The Assistant Commissioner of Police explained that it could be due to negligence on the part of the police at the checkpoints in the South but that the police in the Region could not allow such faults to pass, as it was crucial for them to be vigilant, being near to the boarder.

Bolgatanga, July 22, GNA - Twenty-two people have, for the first six months of this year died from road accidents in Upper East Region, 109 injured while 153 vehicles involved were damaged. Last year, during the same period, nine people were killed, 57 injured and 89 vehicles involved damaged, Mr Bernard G. Dery, Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Region said the remarkable difference was due to an increase in vehicular traffic during the latter part of last year and this year when the vehicles from Cote d'Ivoire had to pass through the Region to cross the border.
He expressed concern at the numerous road accidents and other motor offences on the road and said it was due mainly to ignorance of road safety regulations, excessive speeding, unnecessary competitions, incompetence and poor conditions of vehicles. He said from January to June this year, 700 motor offence cases have been prosecuted and convicted to a total court fine of 177.1 million cedis.
Mr Dery was speaking on Tuesday in Bolgatanga at a workshop organised for drivers by the National Road Safety Commission on up-grading training for commercial vehicles drivers.
Mr Dery appealed to the Licensing Authorities to take drivers through an in-depth testing before issuing them with license. The workshop is aimed at updating and upgrading the knowledge and skills of commercial vehicle drivers with the hope of reducing road accidents by 20 per cent in the next two years. It is also meant to enlighten drivers and vehicle owners to appreciate the importance of good driver training.
Topics to be treated include, driving environment, which will cover registration license and laws relating to motor transport, vehicle maintenance and management, to cover leadership skills, time management and inter personal skills. During an open forum, some of the drivers wanted to know why after driving through so many police check points from Tema or Accra up to the North, the police in the Region still find faults like over loading with cargo and articulator trucks. The Assistant Commissioner of Police explained that it could be due to negligence on the part of the police at the checkpoints in the South but that the police in the Region could not allow such faults to pass, as it was crucial for them to be vigilant, being near to the boarder.