Road crash fatalities reduce by nearly 45 per cent in Ashanti

Road crash fatalities in the Ashanti Region is on the decline and this has been hailed as the reward for the stepped-up safety education campaign combined with rigid enforcement of traffic regulations.

The Region recorded 29 deaths during the second quarter of the year - down from the first quarter’s total of 46, representing a reduction of about 42 per cent.

At the same time, the number of pedestrian knockdowns dropped sharply from 80 to 37.

Mr Thomas Bismark Boakye, Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the significant achievement would not make them complacent and that it would rather inspire them to sustain the momentum.

The Commission, together with the police and other stakeholders, would continue to work with renewed energy and zeal to make the roads safe for motorists, travelers and pedestrians, by helping road users to respect the laws.

He welcomed the construction of humps, rumble strips and roundabouts on major roads running through the Region by the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) and the Department of Urban Roads (DUR).

That, he noted, had tremendously assisted to check speeding by motorists, something he described as “a healthy development”.

Mr Boakye reminded drivers to put premium on safety and avoid acts of recklessness that could lead to injuries and the loss of lives.