Ing May Obiri-Yeboah, Execurive Secretary of NRSC
A total number of 123 road crashes were recorded in the Upper West Region in 2018 as against 150 in 2017, representing 18 per cent reduction.
The Upper West Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Abdul-Samad, told the Ghanaian Times yesterday that the figures were those reported to the Motor and Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, indicating that there could be more cases which were not reported.
Although the number of crashes reduced, the corresponding knockdown and fatal cases in comparison with that of 2017, remained constant as 15 people were knocked down and 54 others killed instantly.
He said the NRSC in conjunction with other road safety agents like the MTTD had been embarking on constant education of residents in the region on the need to ensure discipline on the roads.
“We believe our messages are gradually sinking down but because it has to do with attitudinal change, we know it is going to take some time, a good number of them to change their negative road habits,” Mr Abdul-Samad stated.
The manager was worried about the constant figures recorded for fatalities and said the use of crash helmet whilst riding was still a problem in the Wa Municipality, although the other districts had embraced the practise.
“You find out that people who are expected to know better because they have some level of formal education and are well placed in society like civil servants and some security agents are rather those who flout the road regulations and make it difficult for enforcers,” the manager lamented.
He also expressed disquiet about the mounting of huge and reflective bill boards without due recourse to road safety regulations and said they distracted road users and could lead to accidents.
“With the advent of new and large organisations, people have started mounting bill boards but at unauthorised places and refuse to employ the services of people with the technical know-how such that most of these billboards block the view of road users,” Mr Abdul-Samad explained
The manager called on government to support the road safety agents with timely disbursement of funds in order to enable them carry out their respective duties.
“We often hear people call on urban roads to fix potholes, this is very relevant because if people heed to road traffic rules and still do not ply good roads, accidents could still occur but then we must take cognisance of the fact that government mostly sponsor such projects and so we will urge government to do timely release funds for such purposes,” he indicated.
He called on residents of the region to adhere to traffic rules whilst imploring road safety agents to consolidate their efforts effectively to enforce laws on the roads and prevent many more accidents.
Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS