Vanguard Assurance Company rewards best drivers

Koforidua, March 14, GNA - Mr Yaw Asante of the Obo Kwahu Taxi Drivers Union on Friday won the Vanguard Assurance Company (VAC) 2004 Eastern Region Best Taxi Driver award at a ceremony at Koforidua to mark the 30th Anniversary of the company.

For his prize, he was presented with a double door fridge and an undisclosed amount of money.

Ms Mary Teikie, 26, of Old Tafo Taxi Drivers Union, the only female taxi driver among the 54 others who contested the award, was second and was presented with a cash prize and 20 inch colour television set. Mr Edward Boi Sowah of Suhum-Asamankese Taxi Drivers Union was third and he received a cash price and a Ghetto Blaster. Each of the other 52 participants in the competition who were selected by their unions were each presented with cash prizes of 500,000 cedis and a day's sales account of 50,000 cedis for spending their whole day at the awards ceremony.

In a speech read on behalf of the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, he said though the various measures taken by government over the years were yielding results, the country's road safety record could be better if the rate of human error could be reduced. He said statistics showed that human error was responsible for more than 80 per cent of accidents on the roads.