Ghanaian Politician, Percival Kofi Akpaloo, has intimated that the increasing rates of road accidents in the country can be reduced if institutions responsible for road safety, are efficient and effective in executing their mandate.
According to Kofi Akpaloo the numerous lives lost on the roads are avoidable if institutions like the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) do what is expected of them.
“The DVLA has to ensure all drivers have their licenses and acquire them through the proper channels before hitting our roads. The period in which people use illegal means to acquire licenses must end and that is why we are killing ourselves in road carnages as most drivers on our roads are unqualified”.
Percival Kofi Akpaloo
Touching on some unacceptable activities at the DVLA, he indicated some car owners forge their number plates and together with those using DV and DP plates, cause major accidents as a result of careless driving.
“There are so many unregistered vehicles on our roads. Some of the vehicles have forged number plates while others use the DV and DP plates for long periods without registering their cars and most of them drive carelessly causing road accidents.”
Percival Kofi Akpaloo
Speaking on ensuring safety on the various roads, Kofi Akpaloo stated, in a developing country like Ghana, he believes it is high time cars are towed from roads within 20 minutes of them breaking down to prevent road congestion, thus leading to road accidents. He charged the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to ensure this is done.
“We need to let drivers understand the roads are not their property so they cannot abandon their cars on the shoulders of roads for more than 20 minutes. The NRSA must tow abandoned cars by road sides and get drivers to pay penalties before retrieving their cars. Getting our institutions working is a way we can reduce road accidents”.
Percival Kofi Akpaloo
With insurance being an important factor in Ghana for road users, Kofi Akpaloo tasked the National Insurance Commission to also improve its services by thoroughly examining cars and vehicle owners before selling them insurance.
“Don’t just insure a car because it is new but know how long the car owner has been driving, inspect their licenses before insuring their vehicles”.
Percival Kofi Akpaloo
Transport minister on road safety
Recently, the Transport Ministry speaking on road safety intimated that errors by some road users has caused the death of many people and injuries to others involved in road crashes in Ghana within the last nine months.
According to the Ministry, it is overly worried about the figures recorded in 2021 by the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, which showed that over 2,000 deaths and 11,659 injuries were recorded between January to September 2021.
He averred that the number of people who were involved in these crashes are between the ages of 18 and 50. He noted that the deaths recorded means that the nation is losing its economic staff.
The Transport Minister then stressed that his outfit is working hard with the various stakeholders to help curb road crashes in the country.
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