Picture of the participants during the opening ceremony((Credit: IGnetworkgh)
By: Akpabli Daniel Yao/IGNews/Ho/VR
Under the presidential Special
Initiative for Road Safety, the National Road safety Authority (NRSA) in
collaboration with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Motor
Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana
National Association of driving Schools (GhanaDrive), the Ghana Road Transport
Coordinating Council (GRTCC) and Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU)
have organized a special one-day Road Safety Education and Training (ROSET)
program for Drivers in the Volta regional capital, Ho.
The training which was targeted on
Drivers of high occupancy, long distance running and high risked commercial
passenger transport operators in the region was part of the interventions to
curb incidents of road traffic crashes and casualties in the country.
According to the Volta Regional
Director of the National Road safety Authority, Engineer Kwesi Yirenkyi, a four-years
analysis his outfit did realized that, almost every day in the Volta Region,
two people die on the road and seven people get injured.
He said if we
should compare September 2018 and September 2019 it means we have increased the
death toll of road crashes to 92% so there is the need for all hands to come on
deck to address the menace.
The Deputy Volta Regional
Minister, Reverend Johnson Avuletey noted that, the training program was timely
and commend the organizers for such an important training at this critical time
as we are approaching festive season.
“We should stop playing political game with
our roads issues hence all stakeholders have to rise up if not, things will get
worse when we sit idle. If former leaders are to do the needful, things would
have been for better today” He said.
He indicated that road transport account
for about 95% of passengers and goods movement in Ghana however; it has its
negative impact as a major contributor to loss of lives in the nation.
He said it is with this reason
that this initiative is poised to retrain about 300 drivers of high occupancy, to
goods carrying and other commercial Drivers in the Volta and Oti Regions with
the expectation of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) that this
retraining will contribute to the going down of the recent road crashes in the
region.
He said the VRCC is of the hope
that this retraining will set the basis of regulation 31/3 and 125 of the road
traffic regulation 2012 LI 51(80) which provides the mandate of annual
refresher training for commercial vehicle drivers to influence positive
behavior changes in all categories of road users for the good of the public.
He said this is a clear
demonstration of commitment and support to reduce road traffic crashes in the
country.
He further expressed his
commitment to road safety as he noted that, it is a shared responsibility.
He also urge all policies and
educations to be extended to the motor and tricycle users as he said, the
problems opposed by these riders are great challenge to road safety.
He further advice both drivers
and passengers to consider safety first as the demand for transport will be on
the rise in this festive season and also appealing to all stakeholder especially the
media to intensify campaign on road safety issues.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE)
of the Ho Municipal Assembly, Prosper Pi-Bansah, noted that, every Ghanaian is
alarmed about the high rate of motor accident that we record as a country year
and year out.
He said, it is unacceptable to
loose precious ones to this unacceptable carnage especially during Christmas
and Easter festivities adding that, it is for this concern that the Government
of the Republic of Ghana H.E Nana Addo Danqua Akufo Addo established the Presidential
Initiative on road safety and task all stakeholders to play specific role to
avert the menace.
This intervention according to
the MCE is yielding some positive results but some more needed to be done to
reduce to the barest minimum the spillage and innocent blood on our roads.
He reiterated
that, the participants should take the training opportunity very seriously, ask
relevant questions and be an agent of change.
Meanwhile Chief
Superintendent Victor Oduro Abrokwa, Regional
Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) Commander, observed that,
the punishment for offensive driving is not punitive enough to deter Drivers
therefore contributing to the recklessness on our roads.
He said the
fines from the court alone cannot help address this issue but rather the
seizure of individual offender’s licenses as well as the invocation of section
42 of article 29/60.
“if the court
can fine the offender the money and also invoke his/her license for say a year
or two, it can serve as deterrent to other drivers but finning just some few
cedis alone, it is not punitive enough” he stressed.
He also advised
that, public education should also be intensified to help the drivers,
pedestrians and all road users have the requisite knowledge on road usage.
Togbi Hodzi
Dunyo, Chief Executive Officer of Road Safety Foundation has called on the
authorities to as a matter of urgency clear all unauthorized speed rums on the
highways as he noted that, many of these shall be mounted to add to the
existing ones on our roads during this time
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