Road accidents usually occur as a result of reckless and careless driving not respecting road safety regulations, jumping the red light, wrong overtaking especially on the highways.
In the cities, heavy-duty vehicle drivers pay little regard to other road users and their contribution to nation building coupled with lack of regular maintenance of the buses and local trotros.
Most of these trotro are not road wealthy let alone loading passengers yet, they overload and speed on the road without respect to traffic regulations.
They end up in accidents with the burden on the national economy and increasing the number of disabilities.
The National Road Safety Commission NRSC Upper East Region has been making efforts to bring down the carnage of our roads.
Over 1.2 million people are killed – 3,500 every day. Fifty million are injured each year.
Road users in low and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected: 90% of all road traffic fatalities occur in developing countries.
Ghana is no exception as measures are being put in place to help reduce the carnage on our roads.
Statistics showed that in the Upper East Region, road traffic crashes records, 2017 has seen a remarkable improvement in a casualty situation.
From a steady rise up to the year 2014, there were dramatic increases in 2015 and particularly 2016.
2017 however, witnessed a 32% reduction in fatalities as compared to 41% in 2016, 34% injuries suffered and on the whole, a 20% reduction in the number of crashes.
Speaking to GBCONLINE, the Upper East Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Atilado attributed the reduction in fatalities and injuries as the collaborative efforts of the Regional Road Safety Commission RRSC, the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department MTTD and the Driver and Vehicle License Authority DVLA.
Alhaji Atilado said training workshops have been organized for road users especially drivers and riders, while pre-departure checks are being mounted by his officers at the various Lorry Stations.
They advise and educate drivers to always check their tires and traffic indicators before leaving. He explained their mode of education
The Upper East Regional planning officer of NRSC Denis Yeribu said, behavioral campaigns were undertaken by the commission in 2017, which boarded on training road users in traffic sensitization, and publicity on how to be safe on the road.
He indicated that well over two thousand road users were covered in the training on how to identify signs and avert dangers on the road.
Mr. Yeribu added that, the approval rate from the training showed that 95 percent of road users did not really know much what to do when on the road.
When they encountered them, they realized that their thinking changed and they developed a new perspective of how to stay safe on the road.
He said the training was free and in line with national policy of training drivers who apply for license.
Mr. Yeribu lamented that but for resources constraint, they could have trained more. He explained some of the peculiar issues observed during the training as….
He advised road users especially riders and pedestrians to plan their journeys, wear crash helmets, reflective clothing and armbands, cross at safer places, saying the doors of the National Road Safety Commission are always open to solve any problem.
local-news news
Road traffic crashes reduced by 32% - NRSC
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