Need to commit more resources to road sector to reduce road accidents - Ayatah

Bolgatanga, March 6, GNA - Mr Alexander Ayatah, Upper East Regional Manager of National Road Safety Commission has appealed to Government and stakeholders to commit more resources into activities of the commission to enable it embark on pragmatic programmes to reduce carnage on the roads.

Mr Ayatah made the appeal at a stakeholders meeting to dialogue and brainstorm on how to help reduce the rampant road accidents in the country. He announced that the Region recorded 115 road accidents involving 137 vehicles in 2008, out of which 59 people died and 110 injured. Mr Ayatah noted that the situation could become worse if it was not addressed, adding "road accidents may place third among causes of death worldwide by 2020". He said road safety like other sectors should be well resourced to empower the commission to combat some of the causes of road accidents in the country.

Mr Ayatah pointed out that most of the road accidents were caused by untrained drivers graduating from incompetent drivers and not acquiring the basic training in professional driving. He said drunken driving, over-speeding, poor maintenance of vehicles, parking of broken down vehicles by the roadside, wrong placement of road symbols, unprotected disruptions on the road were some causes of road accidents.

Mr Ayatah announced that plans were far advanced to organise training workshops on driving for mechanics and other commercial drivers to educate them on road traffic regulations. He said the Upper East Regional Directorate of Road Safety Commission would organise stakeholders meeting with ministries, departments and agencies to educate their drivers on road traffic regulations and ensure their vehicles were well maintained. Mr Ayatah said the commission would in addition constitute District Road Safety Committees in the six districts in the Region to cater for issues relating to road safety. He said personnel of the MTTU would also be educated and empowered on their duties in checking motor traffic offences, since most of them after arresting traffic offenders allowed them to go scot-free.

Mr Paul Kuupul, Bolgatanga Municipal Coordinating Director, asked the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to ensure that only vehicles which were road worthy were issued with road worthiness certificates. He cited instances where many transport owners were issued with road worthy certificates but their vehicles were not road worthy and had been another major cause of road accidents in the country. Mr Kuupul appealed to authorities of DVLA to be steadfast in discharging their duties to curb the carnage on roads, and advised motorists to abide by the motor traffic regulations. He deplored the situation where parents carry many children on their motor bikes to school saying it was dangerous and advised them to desist from the act. Mr Kuupul appealed to parents to liaise with management of the schools to purchase buses to convey the children to school and back.