ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN FAILING IN ASHANTI

Statistics gathered by Ashanti Today indicate that the increased public education towards geared at reducing road accidents in the Ashanti region is not achieving the desired results to keep the roads safe.  The records show that all the parametres in road safety in the region saw increase including the number of persons killed through accidents which shot up from the 2017 figure of 335 to 395 last year translating into 18 per cent increase. 

The National Road Safety Commission is attributing the situation to many factors including indiscipline among drivers and riders. The National Road Safety Commission, NRSC, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, MTTD and their partners continue to campaign towards safety on the roads. 

These stakeholders have jointly organized various programmes and campaign activities such as public for drivers, to drum home the key responsibilities each interest group has to play to ensure motorists, commuters and pedestrians safely use the roads. 

However, the efforts are not yielding the desired results as the bad situation appears to be rather worsening in the Ashanti region. Statistics obtained by Ashanti Today from the National Road Safety Commission show that, all the road safety parametres recorded in 2017 saw increment. 

For instance, a total of two thousand, 699 road accidents were officially recorded last year, 18 per cent more than the 2017 figure of two thousand, 286 while the number of persons killed through the accidents also shot up from the 2017 record of 335 to 395 last year translating into 18 per cent increase. Seven hundred and 65 pedestrians were knocked down last year compared with 651 the previous year while the 2017 figure of two thousand, 262 number of injured persons increased by 39 per cent to 2018’s record of three thousand, 150. The statistics show also that, there was a 21 percent increase in the total number of vehicles involved in the crashes which stood at four thousand, 284 in 2018 compared over the 2017 figure of three thousand, 519. 

This year which is barely two weeks old, has already recorded one major such road traffic accident at Boankra in the Ejisu Municipality in which eight persons lost their lives.  

Explaining the upward trend in cases of road crashes despite the enhanced public education over the years, the new Ashanti Regional Road Safety Commission Head, Madam Simbiat Wiredu, blamed the situation on several factors including the sudden influx of tricycles commonly known as ‘Pragia’ for commercial operations in the region. These ‘Pragia’ drivers, Madam Wiredu noted, like most of riders of motorcycles do not comply with road safety regulations while motorists also have little or no consideration for other road users such as pedestrians thereby knocking some of these road users down.

 She advised also, pedestrians and passengers to also always exercise extreme caution when using the road so as to help minimize the incidences of road accidents. ‘When you look at the crash statistics in 2017-2018 full year, you will see that there has been an increase in almost all the parametres.

 When you look at the cases that were recorded in 2018, there has been 18 per cent over that of 2017. ….we had 18 per cent of the persons killed in 18 when you compared with 2017’, the NRC Regional Head stressed.

Now our interest is on pedestrian knock down. We want pedestrians walking on our roads.    Your safety should be your number one priority’, she advised parents.