Toyota Voxy/Noah Menace – Who Cares?

As l set out to write this piece, my attention was drawn to the effect that the same brand of Toyota Voxy is christened NOAH.

That set me wondering as anything associated with Noah from the biblical times, connotes safety. But here we are, the duo identities have come under public scrutiny lately for the havoc they have been wrecking on innocent commuters and other road users on our perilous road network.

About three months ago, l used the Accra- Kumasi stretch and witnessed, at least, two incidents involving the duo – one had run into the bushes somewhere along the route and another hit at the rear at Enyinasi in the Eastern Region.

Other accidents/incidents with casualties and severe injuries involving the duo has been reported on the Accra-Takoradi, Techiman-Sunyani-Tamale and Kumasi-Tarkwa routes, among others. A traveler describes the duo as simply “Perfect and Fast Killers”.

WHO IS TOYOTA VOXY/NOAH?

My checks has it that it is typically a 7/8-seater. It comes with a 2.0L petrol engine, specifically, a 1986 cc engine producing 168 horsepower and 202 Nm of torque. Further, it is 4696, 1730, 1855mm in length, width and height respectively and has a ground clearance of 15cm – yah, a cute destroyer.

INFLUX INTO GHANA

From nowhere, these vehicles have suddenly inundated our transport landscape.

As l write, hundreds have been cleared from the Ports and equal numbers awaiting either clearance from the Ports and/or are on the high seas.

At the major lorry stations such as Circle in Accra, Asafo market in Kumasi, one can count as much as forty at any given hour awaiting to either load or offload.

 

ALTERED STEERING

My checks has it that, most of these “small monsters” dubbed Toyota Voxy/Noah had had their steering wheel altered either locally or in Dubai where most are imported from, that is from Left Hand Drive (LHD) to Right Hand Drive (RHD).

l have very serious issues with those altered locally and for good causes and reasons. Our regulatory, compliance and enforcement regimes can best be described as non-existent. Everybody does what pleases him/her and takes no responsibility. This is to say, DVLA that, in my candid estimation, has relegated its regulatory mandate to the background and embraced the “Cash Cow ideology” and its allied bodies like Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) will not take the trouble to probe the suitability or otherwise of these altered steering systems before certification and subsequent registration.

It becomes more pronounced when such vehicles are being used for long distance trips with drivers who are risk lovers and have nothing to loose at the helm.

Dear reader, in my preparatory interrogations before piecing this piece together, l interacted with some lorry station operatives and their account thereof is not only revealing, stunning, sickening but starling – that the steering of one disengaged at the lorry station after a long journey when the driver only tried to properly park the car. Imagine the consequences thereof if this had occasioned whilst the vehicle was in motion? Your guess is as good as mine. We would have witnessed catchy headlines such as “Eight Perish In A Gory Accident”.

Yah, you read right – the ground clearance is just 15cm and with the sort of unbridled luggage they carry, the clearance could be less.

Situating it in our potholes, sorry ooo, manholes ridden roads, l am of the considered opinion that the authorities must clinically interrogate these flying killers that have suddenly found themselves in the public transport mix.

National Security, Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), the safety units of Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), Department of Urban Roads and, indeed, the Ministry of Transport must take up this issue before it gains topical status.

l wonder and, in fact, it beats my very comprehension why NRSA, with its Act and enabling Legislative Instruments, has not sought to address this issue in collaboration with Ghana Standard Authority and DVLA but are sitting aloof as l piece and is allowing these vehicles to devour innocent souls.

The mere fact that we are in a liberal state does not warrant these vehicles being let loose to wreck havoc all over. At least there must be a defined radius within which, if it is to operate, commercially ply.

I pray that this time round, the authorities will not wait for the casualties figure to soar before they act – they have had the hindsight of my prompting. This will not be the first time such restrictions is being imposed on a class of vehicles, it was done when Nissan Urvan turned killers.

Till NRSA and its allied safety units wake up from their deep slumber, l rest my Fractured Peace.

 

Written by Osei Kwabena Esq., Etia Street, Asante Edfiduase

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.

 

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