Motor bike accidents claim 15 lives in Techiman

Fifteen (15) lives have been lost as a result of motorbike accidents within the Techiman Municipality alone between January and June 2016 alone.

Officials of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service disclosed that the current figure of persons killed through motorbike accidents has doubled compared to the same period the previous year.

The total number of all accident cases recorded within the 1st and 2nd quarter of the year 2015 was 64 with 27 persons killed out of which 8 died from motorbike accidents. Within the same period this year, 56 cases were reported with 22 persons killed and out of the 22 deaths, 15 died through motor accident cases.

This according to the MTTD boss for Techiman, ASP Andrews Okonengye who spoke to Anass Sabit of Gaskiya Fm, the increasing spate of deaths is a source of worry to the unit.

ASP Okonengye explained that the MTTD in collaboration with the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) carried out several sensitization programs at the beginning of the year to minimize the number of accidents within the municipality. He believes these exercises led to the decrease in the number of reported accident cases within the catchment area

Mr. Okonengye added that though the unit targeted a decrease in the number of motorbike accident deaths to a minimum of 7 by the close of the year, the situation worsened as the first six months of the year recorded 15 deaths which is twice the recorded cases within the same period last year. He attributed the increase in motorbike deaths to the ignorance in the usage of the machines by its users.

He, however, added that he is happy the deaths recorded through car accidents is on the decrease and this according to him is as a result of the many sensitization programs conducted by the MTTD and the DVLA.