Preliminary official investigation into the horrific accident that claimed the lives of 31 people, with 28 burnt beyond recognition on Monday dawn at Kintampo in the Bono East Region, has revealed that one of the drivers in the two passenger buses that crashed was dozing.
According to Supt. Alexander Obeng, Director of Education Research and Training of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, the driver of the Grand Bird Kia bus with registration GT 5059-17 which was travelling from Bawku towards Kumasi was tired but reportedly could not rest.
He said the driver, who also died, was embarking on a long journey and in the process fatigue set in, and he veered off his lane and collided head-on with the Mercedes Benz Sprinter with registration number AS 1801-18 which was heading for Tamale from Kumasi.
The fatal accident occurred at Dawadawa near Golumpe at Kintampo in the Bono Region on the Kumasi-Tamale highway.
The tragedy struck close to the area where a similar road carnage claimed the lives of more than 55 on the spot last year.
Supt. Obeng said on Starr FM in Accra yesterday that they were in the process of implementing a policy for inter-city transit vehicle drivers and motorists that would allow them to rest, get refreshed for 30 minutes within every four-hour journey to prevent fatigue that leads to sleeping behind the steering wheel.
“To regulate such behaviour requires registration of transport operators and drivers’ licence but such a policy is yet to be implemented,” he said, adding “before this is done, we are appealing to drivers to always have enough rest to prevent such avoidable accidents on our roads.”
He said they were deploying Accident Prevention Squad on the highways to snap conduct checks, saying “now the best approach is to have institutional framework to regulate such policies.”
A survivor has already narrated how the bus veered off the road and collided with the oncoming mini bus before the fire explosion which devoured all but six passengers.
Petrol On Board
Bono East Regional Minister Kofi Amoakohene said on Tuesday that investigations were showing there was petrol on a motorbike and some in a container on board one of the vehicles that crashed.
He said the two cars were using diesel and suspected that had it not been the petrol on board, there would not have been an immediate fire after the crash.
By Ernest Kofi Adu