A medical team attending to drivers during the event
The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), in collaboration with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, among others, has launched the 2018 National Easter Road Safety Campaign.
The campaign, which was launched at the Achimota Bus terminal, is under the theme, “Your Family Needs You Alive, Drive Safely, Think Safely.”
The National Easter Road Safety Campaign, which being spearheaded by the NRSC, is intended to sensitize motorists, drivers and other road users on safe and defensive driving.
During Easter, many people travel frequently to take part in church activities, picnics and family meetings at various locations.
Addressing drivers and guests lately, the Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, bemoaned the high level of indiscipline on the roads which most often leads to road crashes.
“The unnecessary use of sirens, needless honking, driving on shoulders of the road, disregard of motor riders for traffic signals, among other issues, all combine to affect safety on the roads,” he declared.
Government, through the Ministry of Transport and the NRSC, has put measures in place to improve safety on our roads in the country, he added.
The Minister further indicated that the NRSC and its partners, including the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, will increase visibility and create awareness on compliance with road safety regulations at major transport terminals and strategic locations across the country.
Mr Ofori Asiamah, who commended corporate Ghana for collaborating with NRSC to undertake various initiatives, also disclosed that the Ministry is taking steps to review the entire Road Traffic Regulations to address various concerns.
May Obiri-Yeboah, Executive Director of NRSC, indicated that from January-February 2018 a total of 2,085 crashes were recorded which resulted in 366 deaths and 2,272 injuries involving a total of 3,415 vehicles.
According to her, in the same period in 2017 there were 1,986 crashes which resulted in 2,069 injuries and 354 deaths.
By Solomon Ofori