Accra-Ghana, Dec.15, GNA – To prevent road crashes in the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivity, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), says it will embark on pre-departure checks of their members.
Mr Godfred Abulbire, General Secretary, GPRTU, said selected guards would check drivers, and conditions of vehicles of members before allowing passengers on board, as part of measures to ensure road regulations compliance.
“So whoever does not comply with the safety measures will answer to the Union, be directed to the Police Service and will be made to face the full rigours of the law and all these will be made public,” he said.
Mr Abulbire disclosed the move, on Thursday, at a media launch of Road Safety Christmas Campaign by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in Accra, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Police Service.
Mr Davis Osafo Adonteng, the Acting Director-General of NRSA, described Christmas as a moment where the ‘enemy’ was ‘road traffic crashes.’
“Each year, the enemy comes very hard and with one purpose – to kill, injure and damage property of hundreds and thousands. But this year, we are going to say no, enough is enough,” he said.
The Campaign launch, he said was also to rekindle their cordial relationship with the media to reactivate the “Stay Alive Campaign,” educate for discipline among road-users and advocate greater responsibility among institutions responsible for road interventions nationwide.
Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, said more than 90 per cent of road traffic crashes were from human induced errors, hence the nation could not ignore the risks associated with travels during the festive seasons.
“If we are to achieve the 2nd UN Decade of Action target of 50 per cent in traffic fatalities, then road users must change their behaviours and attitude, law enforcers must also do their work without fear or favour and road Agencies must create a conducive environment to ensure safety of road users,” he advised.
The Minister urged all road users and duty bearers to keep up the efforts throughout the festive period and beyond to ensure an accident-free Christmas.
“It is important that we remain safety conscious and think road safety at all times by obeying traffic rules and regulations,” he said.
Mr Asiamah also asked transport operators to guard against reckless behaviors of some drivers in order not to add to the already existing numbers of crashes.
“We must always remember that, there is life beyond December. Children must return to school, workers must get back to work and life’s ambitions must be fulfilled,” he cautioned the public.
Mr Francis Ebenezer Doku, the Director-General, MTTD, advised motorists to stay off alcohol and hard drugs, explaining that those led to reckless driving and excessive speeding and subsequently, death.
He also asked them to respect road traffic regulations and maintain vehicles well to prevent breaking down in the middle of roads and accidents.
“Let’s stop overloading. We must learn to wear seatbelts to avoid needless deaths during crashes. Always remember that fatigue driving is very dangerous, so always rest for at least 15 minutes after every three-hour-drive and avoid using mobile devices while driving to prevent accidents,” he added.
Mr Osei Kuffuor, Programme Coordinator for Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, said records showed that somebody from across the world died as a result of road crash every 24 seconds.
In Ghana, eight people died a day, he said, and commended the NRSA and its stakeholders, especially the Police Service for its sterling work to steadily reduce road crashes.
