AMA and Bloomberg Philanthropies launch road safety mini campaign

By Samuel Dodoo, GNA

Accra, Dec. 29, GNA – The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies have launched the 2018 Mini Christmas Road Safety Campaign to ensure the safety of all road users in the city.

The campaign message is: “Slow Down! Make It Home for This Holiday Season: The faster you drive, the deadlier the consequences.”

As part of the campaign, the two institutions have donated policing items to the Central Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to aid them to carry out their law enforcement duties to save lives.

The items are 100 lighting batons, 200 reflective vests, 50 raincoats, 1,000 latex examination gloves, 40 directional signs and 20 reflective traffic cones.

Mr Mohammad Adjei Sowah, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the campaign would sensitise drivers and other road users on the need to reduce speed and would be carried out effectively on social media, online media outlets and the mainstream media.

He said according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2018 Road Safety Report, road traffic injury is the eighth leading cause of deaths for all age groups worldwide and that the problem is getting worse.

Mr Sowah said the AMA together with the Bloomberg have undertaken road assessments of all the major roads in the city of Accra to inform their decision-making and based on that a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan was launched in 2017 and has recently launched first Road Safety Strategy for the metropolis.

“I am pleased to announce that a number of the initiatives identified in the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan are currently being implemented across the city by various agencies including the Department of Urban Roads and non-governmental organisations in the sector,” he said.

He acknowledged the good works of the personnel of the MTTD for enforcing the motor traffic laws on the roads and urged them to use the items donated to help in the reduction of road crashes and fatalities, especially during the festive period.

“My hope is that this campaign will prevent injuries, change attitudes and ultimately save lives. I wish you all merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.”

Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, in a speech read on her behalf, commended the AMA and the Bloomberg for their enormous efforts at promoting road safety in the country.

She said the provision of resources to the police for road traffic enforcement by the two organisations was a step in the right direction as research has shown that an increase in enforcement efforts, fetches substantial safety gains in reducing road crashes.

“I am convinced that this exercise of donating resources to the police will strengthen enforcement of road traffic rules and regulations by the MTTD and in the long run help improve safety on our roads,” she said.

Mrs Obiri-Yeboah said the country has seen growth in the vehicular population with a current figure of more than two million vehicles and that this calls for a more rigorous enforcement regime in maintaining sanity on the roads.

Giving provisional current statistics produced by the MTTD, she said, as at the end of November 2018 a total of 12,396 road crashes were reported involving 20,082 vehicles, which comprised 2,118 fatalities and 12,318 injuries and a total of 2,918 pedestrians were knocked down within the 11 months.

The Executive Director said compared to the same period last year (January to November), aside the number of pedestrians knocked downs, which had reduced by 3.82 per cent, there have been an increase in all other reported cases and that the situation painted a deteriorating road safety that calls for more work by all stakeholders.

Mrs Obiri-Yeboah appealed to all stakeholders, particularly road agencies, enforcement agencies, emergency services, the media, civil society and the public to step up efforts in their respective jurisdictions towards improving safety on the roads.

“Collectively, we all have an issue at hand to reduce the road traffic crashes and the resultant fatalities and injuries,” she said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Fosu Ackaah, who received the items and joined the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive to launch the Mini Christmas Road Safety Campaign, expressed gratitude to the donors on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Police Administration for their continuous support to rid the roads of miscreants.

He appealed for more assistance from corporate bodies and organisations for the MTTD personnel to carry out effective enforcement of the laws on the road.

ACP Ackaah said an Enforcement Team formed at the instance of IGP on drink driving, seat belt, helmet usage and other related traffic infractions within the Accra metropolis has yielded dividends, however, there was more room for improvement.

He directed all the MTTD Commanders to deploy their personnel to effectively manage traffic during the Christmas and the New Year periods while urging them to take a critical look at the motorbike menace and the illegal use of bus stops as lorry terminals.

He called on the Commander to give their teams the needed cooperation for the success of their operations.

ACP Ackaah advised all road users – pedestrians, cyclists, motor riders, drivers as well as passengers to join hands to fight the indiscipline on the roads to have an accident-free Christmas.

Mr Abass Ibrahim, the Greater Accra Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) Industrial Relations Officer, said the Union has being organizing training for their members on safe driving, but the problem is with the floating drivers and called on the MTTD personnel to deal with such drivers who are not affiliated to any union.

He appealed to the road authorities to ensure that the roads are safe by not allowing traders to sell on walkways leading to pedestrians to walk on the streets while the police should not hesitate in arresting pedestrians who cross the road when the red lights are on.

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