Member of Parliament for Adaklu Constituency, Kwame Governs Agboza, has intimated that citizens have a shared responsibility in ensuring that road accidents are reduced in the country.

According to the Adaklu MP, authorities have a shared responsibility on behalf of government to also make sure that the roads, the alignment of the roads and specific sections are done in such a way that they can reduce the impact of road crashes.

“We have a responsibility as owners of vehicles to ensure that the conditions for commercial vehicles especially, are taken for checks. We can all help reduce carnage on our roads.”
Kwame Governs Agboza

Speaking on the unfortunate accidents which happened over the weekend, he indicated that the issue of road accident is a serious matter which needs to be dealt with. The MP averred that the sad part of the issue is that, the MTTD keeps informing that a vast majority of road crashes in this country are as a result of driver errors.

“When you travel along our roads in the country, you will notice that the behavior of some drivers does not suggest any responsibility. Vehicles themselves don’t move and kill people and crash. People in charge of the vehicles make those decisions.”
Kwame Governs Agboza

Mr Agboza was of the view that these accidents can happen due to some reasons citing an example that, there can be a situation whereby the mechanical system in a vehicle can fail catastrophically. However, he intimated that majority of the time, it is due to over speeding, tiredness, lack of maintenance of the vehicle and the road conditions.

Mr. Agboza advised that the manner in which road safety education is done in the country has to change. According to him, he does not believe that one can make any other law to make anymore difference. “The only thing I am worried about is that when we changed the National Road Safety Commission to an Authority, we said in that law that we were going to operationalize the district assemblies to give proper road education but that hasn’t happened.”

Only two UEW students confirmed dead

Meanwhile, Authorities of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has clarified that two students lost their lives after the fatal accident involving 35 of its students.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the University, Ernest Azutiga, only two out of the nine passengers died in the Sunday-dawn accident at Asuboi in the Eastern Region as against the initial announcement of the nine students who were reported dead.

The school indicated that information available to them indicates that two other students out of the 35 students who were onboard the bus are yet to be found and efforts are being made to trace their whereabouts.

The accident involved a Hyundai universe commercial bus with registration number AK 324-22 and a 40-footer container loaded with wood. The bus was transporting the students from Sunyani towards Accra but on reaching a section of the Asuboi road, the driver failed to observe traffic ahead as he was alleged to be sleeping, thereby causing the accident.