The Kintampo to Kumasi highway has claimed multiple lives again, details of which are contained in one of the leading stories in this issue. In 2019, on this highway sixty-seven persons lost their lives in an accident which attracted the attention of the nation through the sheer statistics involved.
On the dawn of Sunday a couple of days ago, another fatal accident, the subject of this commentary occurred, claiming the lives of twenty-three persons and leaving others critically injured. For how long shall we continue to be one of the leading countries in West Africa with an unenviable high road fatality statistics?
Just when we are on the verge of clapping our hands for ourselves for steering away from such heartbreaking stories, they strike and heavily so as we have heard from the latest and arguably the most devastating accident since we bade adieu to 2022.
We are pained to learn about how two dozen lives perished in what was an avoidable accident. The various interventions laid out to obviate accidents on our highways appear not to be responding as we continue to record fatal accidents.
For the few days which follow such fatal accidents, so much attention is riveted on road safety but this soon fizzles out in the face of other stories from the realm of politics or economy, and regrettably nobody talks about the subject until unfortunately there is another accident in the mould of the Kintampo one. We have written so much as have others about the rate at which lives perish through highway accidents in this country.
During the last Yuletide, the Police introduced an intervention which saw an Xmas with relatively low accident record or none at all. Unfortunately when stringent measures are introduced to reduce accidents and ensure zero fatalities on our highways some citizens will start complaining.
The Kintampo to Tamale highway is a killer zone. Unfortunately this is a true reflection of the state of this portion of this major national highway, and we do not have to ignore this reality for the sake of saving lives. The rate at which this highway is claiming lives and nothing effective being done to reverse the trend beats our imagination.
Having now realised the danger posed by this portion of the highway, we think that road safety experts, engineers and MTTD personnel should brainstorm over the subject and advise government on what to do to obviate this carnage. We should not allow this subject to simply fizzle out after the interment of the deceased and discharge from hospital of the injured.
We ask that something substantial and effective is done to reverse the trend. So many breadwinners are losing their lives, throwing families into avoidable despair.
It is our belief that the experts can fashion out something which can save lives on this highway. We should work hard towards not allowing accidents of such magnitudes to occur on this section of the highway any longer.