Accra, February 21, 2018//-Ghana’s National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has asked the government to give it an Agency Status with the power to demand safety from institutions and organizations that would go against their responsibilities of ensuring safety on the roads.
According to the Commission, the spate of road injuries and deaths is becoming alarming and that, an urgent action is needed, and the Commission in its current mandate cannot do much to make a change.
The Executive Director of NRSC, Mrs May Obiri Yeboah told journalists in Accra that it had become necessary that NRSC’s role as a lead agency was legally enhanced to ensure they were able to compel institutions whose operations have a bearing on safety on the roads, adhere to standards.
She challenged the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to set up actions that would ensure that only competent drivers and vehicles enter the road space.
Mrs Yeboah also charged vehicle owners and drivers “not to see this action as harassment but rather it is for our collective public good. Let’s enforce the laws.”
Giving provisional data on the 2017 road traffic situation in the country, she stated that a total of 12, 843 cases of road traffic crashes were recorded. Out of the number, 12,166 injuries while 2,076 lost their lives. This is higher than the figures recorded in 2016.
“Again in 2017, a total of 3,043 road traffic offences were processed for courts out of which 2,509 cases earned convictions including 13 custodial sentences with GH¢1,240,862 paid as fines,” Mrs Yeboah added.
She emphasised that, road traffic incidents had become a source of worry for road safety advocates, managers and stakeholders looking at the rate of crashes and carnages within January 2018.
Cases in 2018
According to her, 1,071 crashes had so far been recorded this year, with 180 deaths and 1,171 injuries.
“I must also mention that so far this year, as at 31st January, 2018 , 253 pedestrians have been knocked down by motor vehicles and 65 of them have lost their lives.”
She however indicated that the Commission had carried out investigations into these unfortunate incidents and discovered that the most prevalence among the causes of these carnage is negligence and disregard for road traffic regulations on the part of drivers.
“Also revealing among the contributory factors were deficiencies associated with road infrastructure. The absence of road signs, roadway markings, street lighting and safe crossing facilities for pedestrians are issues that continue to find space in the list of crash contributory factors,” Mrs Yeboah said.
She iterated that safety on the roads is a shared responsibility and that everyone must play a part since government on its part by passing the Road Traffic Act and Regulations (Act 683 of 2004 and Road Traffic Regulations 2012, LI 2180) .
“The time has come for road agencies to demonstrate utmost responsibility for safety by ensuring that our roads are adequately and properly signed, well-lit and devoid of dangerous potholes and physical objects. “It is required that institutions and individuals apply the provisions for the good of public safety on our roads.”
“We also want to call on the agencies to ensure that contractors working on roads install the appropriate traffic management and safety signs and do well to protect trenches and other physical objects such as tips of sand and chippings.” She noted.
By Sammy Adjei, African Eye Report
