Road safety awareness seminar held in Koforidua for women groups

Koforidua, May 28, GNA - The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), on Friday held a day's seminar on road safety awareness for women groups in Koforidua, as part of strategy to dialogue with them on the role they are expected to play in road traffic crash reduction and prevention. The participants were expected to take the lead role, by championing and being advocates in the road safety in the home, workplaces, churches and mosques among other places.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf expressed worry about the spate of road accidents in Ghana, which he said was having negative effects on the socio-economic development of the country.

He said available statistics indicated that majority of the victims of road accidents fall within the ages of 16-55 years, which constituted a higher percentage of the country's labour force "Most of these people have quite a sizeable number of dependants and also contribute highly to the national economy". Mr Ofosu-Ampofo observed that anything that would make them incapacitated therefore affect all their dependants as well as the Gross Domestic Product of the country.

He said accidents on the roads could be attributed to several factors such as fatigue, irregular maintenance, wrong overtaking, over speeding and alcoholism among others. The Regional Minister said there was therefore the need for vigorous education of drivers and other road users in order for them to change their attitude on the road.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said it was against that backdrop that women had been identified as major stakeholders in the creation of awareness and campaign against bad attitude on the road. He appealed to the women to carry out the road safety messages in wherever they find themselves.

"You are to do your possible best to educate your husbands, fathers, children and other relatives who find themselves on the road to ensure road safety practices so that road accidents, which have become a national canker, will be a thing of the past." Mr Noble J. Appiah, Executive Director, NRSC, announced that more than 50 persons died in four separate road traffic crashes within the last couple of weeks.

He said that situation was unacceptable and called for civic, moral and professional responsibility to ensure that they do not occur again. "We can reduce and prevent road traffic crashes if all stakeholders implementing the national road safety strategy show real sense of commitment and urgency towards road safety management in the country". Mr Appiah said road traffic crashes could be reduced and prevented but there was the need for collective effort of all stakeholders, to enable the country achieve the national strategic objectives for road safety. He observed that about 70 percent of road traffic deaths in the country involve men, adding that, most homes are therefore being left without breadwinners, which has serious socio-economic implications for the family, the community and in the country. "Women have a critical role in road safety management by influencing the implementation of interventions that target road traffic crash reduction and prevention."