Western Region Director for the National Road Safety Commission, Naana Akua Ansah has said reported accident cases in the Western Region have seen a slight increase from last year.
According to her, two hundred and two (202) cases were reported in the 3rd quarter of 2018, whilst three hundred and thirty (330) has so far been recorded in the third quarter of 2019.
Vehicles involved have also increased from 278 to 563. Naana Akua Ansah said this at an education campaign organised by the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) for members of the GPRTU in the Western Region.
Speaking in an interview, Naana Akua Ansah described the development as worrying, but added that pedestrian knock downs reduced under the same period.
“If you look at pedestrian knock downs for instance, last year, it was 55, but it has now reduced to 45, so this is where we were able to decrease a little. Again if you look at the persons that got killed last year, it was at 30 but now it has risen to 35. Those who got injured also increased from 200 last year to 258 this year”, she noted.
According to her, it is necessary for all road users, and not just drivers, to desist from drinking alcohol while using the road, in order for them not to lose concentration on the roads during this Christmas season.
On his part, the acting Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation in STMA, Mr James Obeng Jr called on drivers to apply all road safety rules to reduce road accidents in the country.
“We have done some research into the causes of road accidents in Ghana, and have realised we can do something to minimize them. We have realised that some of these long journey buses, once they leave Takoradi to Accra, they will not have any rest, which is very dangerous. There are also no windows on these buses so if there is any accident, there will be no exit points for the passengers”, Mr. Jmaes Obeng Junior indicated.
Story: Eric Nana Gyetuah
