DG of Ghana Road Safety Authority (2nd from right) and others during the visit
THE PARAMOUNT chief of Techiman Traditional area, Oseadeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV, has expressed concern over the rate of accidents on roads in the country which he said is killing people more than the Coronavirus.
He has therefore appealed passionately to the government through the Road Safety Authority to take steps to address the situation.
The Akwamuhene of the Traditional Council, Nana Owusu Agyari, expresssed the concerns on behalf of the Omanhene on Saturday in Techiman when the Director-General of Ghana Road Safety Authority, Ing. May Obiri-Yeboah, and her entourage called on the council to show appreciation for donating an office space to the authority that enabled them set up Bono East Regional Office of the GRSA.
In his welcome address, the chief mentioned factors that he believed are causes of accidents especially on Techiman- Kintampo- Tamale road that have claimed many lives.
This includes speed rumps erected recklessly by communities along roads, potholes, lack of towing cars to remove broken down vehicles, absence of road signs, and the need for dualisation of many trunk and international roads in the country.
He noted accidents on the roads claimed more lives than COVID-19 and asked the government to devote the same amount of resources and energy that it spent on COVID-19 to road issues and prevent or minimize accidents and deaths in the country.
In a response, the Director-General of the GRSA urged the chiefs to help stop underage children from ridding tricycles called Aboboyaa for business and concentrate on their schools.
The chief said the council had already decided on the matter by preventing operators from plying on major roads in the municipality.
‘Through the police, we have designated special roads for them to ply and are not allowed to ride on major roads where they compete with heavy trucks and caused accidents,” he responded.
Ms. Obiri Yeboah stated that, she was going to liaise with other stakeholders such as the police, the Ghana Highway Authority among others, to address the concerns raised by the chiefs, saying road safety is a shared responsibility.
Earlier, the team visited the Bono East Regional Police Command and discussed matters concerning road safety in the region.
She also visited the new office of the authority and motivated her workers to put in their best efforts to prevent accidents in the region.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Techiman
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com.