A section of participants at the meeting
ROAD CRASHES have claimed 434 lives in the Ashanti Region between January and October, 2020, ACP Emmanuel Adu Boahen, the Ashanti Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) Commander of the Ghana Police Service has said.
He said his outfit recorded minimal road accident-related deaths in 2020 in the region compared to 2019 where 455 deaths were recorded within the same period.
In a statistics, ACP Adu Boahen, disclosed that a minimum of 10 road crashes are recorded every day with one person dying and 13 persons sustaining various degrees of injury.
The MTTD boss was speaking at a meeting organised for drivers, transport owners, media, Ghana Police Service and Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) during this year’s celebration of World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims.
Oli Best Road Safety Organisation, an NGO, organised the event in Kumasi where road users were cautioned to be responsible when using the roads. It was under the theme, “Remember, Support and Act”.
The high rate of deaths, the police officer noted, is worrying to stakeholders in the motor traffic sector and the policy makers as most productive Ghanaian workforce is being lost.
He blamed the situation on carelessness and indiscipline of motorists, and identified the Anloga Junction in the Oforikrom Municipality as one of the hotspots in the region, where road users ought to be vigilant when using the roads.
He said the MTTD was working assiduously with road safety campaigners to ensure that drivers complied with road safety regulations in the country.
On his part, Richard Karikari, the Chief Executive Officer of Oli Best Road Safety Organisation, appealed to the relevant authorities to put measures in place to deal with recalcitrant motorists to serve as deterrent.
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year to remember the many millions killed and injured in road crashes, their families and communities.
It is also to pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who daily deal with the traumatic aftermath of road death and injury.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi