Obiri-Yeboah poses with some officials
The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has launched the sixth edition of the National Road Safety Awards (NRSA) slated for November 2017.
Award winners, according to the NRSA committee, will receive cash prizes and a plaque or citation.
Addressing the media at the headquarters of the NRSC at Accra last Tuesday, the Executive Director, Mary Obiri-Yeboah, indicated that the awards scheme was instituted as a platform to further sensitise motorists and other road users on the need for responsible road usage.
The categories for the sixth edition, she mentioned, are road safety-oriented commercial road transport operator, road transport driver of the year, solid haulage transport operator, liquid haulage transport operator, among many others.
For the competitive media-related awards categories, she added that best road safety media reporter (print and electronic) and best road safety media reporter (photography) will be awarded.
Mrs Obiri-Yeboah further mentioned that individuals and corporate citizens whose actions continue to educate people on road safety will be recognised for meritorious awards.
“We are carefully going through the profiles and performances of persons in the areas of showbiz, sports and political personalities to crown as a goodwill road safety ambassador. The main responsibility of the ambassador will, among other things, include carrying our messages in various capacities to the masses of the people,” she disclosed.
Stating the reasons for such motivations, Mrs Obiri-Yeboah explained that road traffic crashes (RTC) account for an average of 2,000 deaths, with about 60 percent of the crash victims within the productive bracket of 18-55.
Speaking to NEWS-ONE, she appealed to corporate institutions to support the awards programme in cash or kind for more attractive rewards to winners.
By Solomon Ofori