The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for an increased presence of Police officers on high-risk corridor roads.
According to the Road Safety Authority, the Police presence will help enforce traffic regulations on road activities including excessive speeding by drivers.
In a statement by the Authority reacting to the number of road traffic crashes recorded last weekend, it averred that preliminary investigations indicated that excessive speeding, wrongful overtaking, inattentiveness, disabled vehicles and fatigue were the critical contributory factors to the crashes recorded.
“The National Road Safety Authority expresses its condolences to the families of the deceased persons and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. Consistent with policy, the Authority has commissioned investigation into the crashes. In the interim, the Authority is scaling up the ‘Stay Alive’ campaign for 2022 and the related media and outreach programmes.”
NRSA
The Authority disclosed that Road Safety Inspectors have been deployed at major transport terminals to ensure compliance to road safety directives like, two drivers per long distance route and the use of vehicle logbooks, among others.
NRSA noted that, despite the frequent occurrence of the road traffic crashes, its resultant injuries and death declined by 3.7% and 9.2% respectively in the months of January and February, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021.
However, the last few days, according to NRSA, have seen a rise in crashes which may not necessarily mean a rise in crashes or crises situation. The Authority called for calm and support from the public for the operationalization of its mandate and implementation of existing strategies to improve the road safety situation.
This followed the four separate road crashes which occurred in the Eastern, Oti and Greater Accra regions leading to 17 reported deaths with several cases of injuries among others.
Take steps to clamp down accidents
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Akatsi North, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, has charged all relevant stakeholders, especially the National Road Safety Authority (NSRA) and the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to take further steps to clamp down on individuals whose actions continue to threaten lives on roads.
The Akatsi North MP noted that the statistics on road carnage on the roads over the weekend alone was horrendous and adds up to the already alarming cases of death on the road; most of which could be attributed to recklessness, indiscipline and human error on the part of drivers and motorists.
Speaking on the recent multiple road accidents which reportedly left some passengers on board the vehicle seriously injured and some dead, he described it as heartbreaking and an unfortunate incident which has robbed the nation again of young lives who would have been very significant to the development of the country.
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