Transport minister to curb road
accidents in the country
Audrey Micah, Ghanadot
Accra, Feb 27, Ghanadot - The Ministry of Transport has begun consultations with stakeholders to find ways
of abating the rampant loss of lives through road
accidents in the country.
Minister of Transport, Mr. Mike Hammah, described the accidents that occured on
the Atimpoku-Jaupong-Aboasa road, the Tamale to Bolgatanga road, and the
Kintampo to Tamale road as avoidable.
As a swift and decisive to curb the menace, he said his Ministry in
collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) conducted an investigation on the factors which
contribute to the recent accidents.
He said the investigation revealed that the main causes of the accident were
fatigue, carelessness, poor visibility and speeding.
“As the Minister of Transport, I cannot sit down for this needless road traffic
crashes to go” he said.
The agencies involved in the exercise include Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU),
the Fire Service, National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Ghana Private Road Transport union (GPRTU).
Others are the Road Transport Co-ordinating Council, Co-operative Transport
Association, Intercity State Transport Company, Metro Mass Transit and
representatives of the media.
the Minister of Transport disclosed that over 90 people had been killed during
the week of February 14 to February 20 this year alone.
Mr. Hammah called on the NRSC and the other road safety agencies present at the
meeting to ensure strict compliance with those directives.
He directed all commercial transport operators and haulage companies to
introduce log books in their vehicles to monitor the number of hours their
drivers drive in a day.
Commercial vehicle drivers, he said should indicate in their log books when they
start a journey, the total number of hours spent, and kilometers driven.
The minister said road traffic regulation required that drivers took a mandatory
30 minutes rest after four hours of continuous driving and stop driving after a
maximum of eight hours.
He noted the log would help drivers to make these calculations accurately in
order to prevent fatigue driving which he said was one of the major factors that
contributed to the disturbing statistics on road accidents.
Some medium and long-term interventions to address road safety that the minister
stated include the introduction of speed cameras on some highways, installation
of speed limits in commercial vehicles, and instant towing of disable vehicle
off roads.
The NRSC and other road safety stakeholders pledged their support and commitment
for the effective implementation of the minister’s directives to curb road
accidents.
Ghanadot
