Three hundred and thirty five (335) people died out of two thousand two hundred and eighty six (2,286) road traffic accidents in the Ashanti region alone in the year 2017.
Thousand eight hundred and eighteen (1818) commercial vehicles, thousand two hundred and thirty nine (1,239) were private cars and three hundred and thirty (330) motor bikes were involved in the accidents.
Six hundred and fifty two (652) pedestrians were also knock down by vehicles ninety (90) of them being below the age of eighteen.
This is a twenty percent (20%) rise in the number of accidents and an eight percent (8%) increase in the number of deaths; as the region recorded a thousand nine hundred and one (1,901) accidents in the year 2016 with three hundred and ten (310) deaths.
Out of the number who died in the year 2017, two hundred and twenty five (225) were adults above eighteen years with a hundred and ten (110) being minors and children.
The number of people who got injured in road accidents in the Ashanti Region also stood at two thousand two hundred and sixty two (2,262)
Disclosing these statistics to Ultimate News, the Ashanti regional manager of the National Road Safety Commission Engineer Samuel Asiama expressed worry about the increasing incidents of private vehicle and motor bike accidents in the region.
He told Ultimate News’ Ivan Heathcote – Fumador, “the sad thing is that initially we used to have a lot of commercial vehicles but now if you look at the ratio of commercial to private cars, the private cars are taking a large chunk of road accidents.”
“What is also becoming worrisome is the increase in motor cycle crushes. We recorded 336 motor cycle crushes compared to the previous year when we had about 200 motor cycle crushes. Most of them are fatal and we have to intensify education and advocacy on the use of the helmets because it is one of the safest measures in using a motor cycle.”
Engineer Asiamah however admitted that though the figures are troubling, his outfit is drawing up a two pronged approach which combines education and enforcement, to reduce carnage on the roads.
He disclosed that an Accident Prevention Squad which was successfully piloted over the Christmas holidays will be deployed to all crush prone roads to do alcohol, speed and vehicular snap checks to help curb carnage on the roads.
He described, “They are a team of about six personnel. You will see them with reflective vests with Accident Prevention Squad abbreviation embossed on their vests. They put up cones to block one section of the road and they inspect everything on the vehicle and whether the driver is drunk or sleepy and they compliment that with education on the road”
He also called on the public to take more interest and responsibility in calling the motoring public to order when they detect infractions.
“We shouldn’t leave the responsibility of using the roads to only the driver. Whether you are a passenger, a pedestrian or you sell by the side of the road, we should take the safety of the roads into our own hands. Don’t wait till you see a law officer before you do what it right,” He advised.
He is also confident government’s plans to fix some major roads in the city and collapse the roundabouts on the major Kumasi – Accra highway are positive signs that the year 2018 should see some reduced spate of road traffic accidents.
By: Ghana/Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9FM/Ivan Heathcote-Fumador
The post A/R: 335 killed in 2,286 accidents in 2017 -NRSC reports appeared first on Ultimate FM.
Three hundred and thirty five (335) people died out of two thousand two hundred and eighty six (2,286) road traffic accidents in the Ashanti region alone in the year 2017. Thousand eight hundred and eighteen (1818) commercial vehicles, thousand two hundred and thirty nine (1,239) were private cars and three hundred and thirty (330) motor […]
The post A/R: 335 killed in 2,286 accidents in 2017 -NRSC reports appeared first on Ultimate FM.
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