Northern Region Holds Stakeholders Meeting On Road Safety

The Northern Regional Road Safety Commission and other stakeholders have met to develop effective and efficient strategies to help to reduce accidents in the Tamale Metropolis. The meeting brought together representatives from the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), the Motor, Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Police Service, leaders of the various political parties and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union on Friday. Issues discussed included, overloading, over speeding, worn-out vehicles plying on the roads, traffic light and motor bikes, parking at unauthorized places in the evening and the interference of opinion leaders, chief and politicians when traffic offenders were arrested. Mr Thomas Bismark Boakye, Northern Regional Manager of the NRSC, noted at the meeting that the nation continued to lose human lives in the productive sector of the economy. Families, he said, also lost breadwinners resulting in the curtailment of livelihood for members of their families and dependents. "Many children cannot continue with their education and others are battling to pay for their education as a result of the loss of their breadwinners", he added. He explained that the NRSC according to law had been mandated to collaborate with institutions including the GPRTU and the Police among others to undertake nation-wide planning and development of road safety programmes and activities. “We are also to coordinate, monitor and evaluate road safety activities, programmes and strategies. Develop and maintain a comprehensive database on road traffic accident and publish reports related to road safety. Set standards for road safety equipment and ensure compliance”, he said. ACP Mathew Appiah-Agyei, Deputy Regional Police Commander, said one of the major challenges that the Police Service faced was the interference of opinion leaders, chiefs and politicians when offenders were arrested and were to be taken through the due process. He, however, called on the youth to desist from assaulting police officers at accident scenes as well as burying dead bodies without reporting the cases to the Police. “We are aware that some of our religious believes does not permit the dead to be kept beyond some hours but we need to inform the Police about it,” he said. ACP Appiah-Agyie explained that the records of dead were needed to be factored into the data gathering, which was often used for planning and infrastructural development by government. DSP Blewushie Godwin Cashman, Regional MTTU Commander, said his outfit would arrest and prosecute all police personnel, who used unlicensed motor bikes in the Metropolis. “We are waging war against the use of unlicensed motor bikes, people who fail to wear helmets when ridding. Anyone found to be using one should not be spared,” he said. DSP Cashman said the MTTU had directed personnel to arrest drivers who use rickety vehicles "even if they have road worthy stickers”. Explaining further, he said: “Rickety vehicles, vehicles with defective tyres, headlights, and bodies have been the cause of rampant accidents in Ghana, claiming precious lives and destroying property with impunity, and we cannot allow them to continue operating and perpetuate mayhem, in the name of using road worthy certificates.”