132 die in accidents in Western Region

• Posted on December 10, 2014December 10, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

AS many as 132 people have perished in road accidents that have so far occurred in the Western Region this year.

Most of the victims were between the ages of 25 and 40.

These facts were brought to light by the Regional Co-ordinating Directorate of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) at a road safety campaign organised in Takoradi.

According to the commission, the Kwesimintsim-Agona-Nkwanta-Tarkwa road and the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway have been identified as accident-prone areas in the region.

The commission also said most of the accidents were the result of careless driving, excessive intake of drugs and alcohol and general disregard to traffic regulations by commercial drivers.

On his part, Mr Okyere Darko, an official of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), currently the zonal co-ordinator of the axle load control in the region, warned commercial drivers, particularly those plying long distances, to be mindful of the regulations governing the axle load control.

He cited drivers who cart timber, cocoa, manganese and bauxite from the region as the worse culprits, and warned them to desist from the habit or face the full rigours of the law.

An Assistant Divisional Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Ebenezer Sam, took the drivers through the various stages of fire fighting, particularly during accidents, and admonished the drivers to acquire the right fire extinguishers, in order to protect their vehicles and passengers in the event of an unforeseeable circumstance.

Officials of MTTU of the police service in the region also joined the campaign and took the drivers through the use of a number of safety measures.

They also showcased the use of the alcoholmeter to detect drink-drivers, and warned drivers to desist from taking alcohol or other forms of drug abuse to guard their own lives and those of their passengers.

In a related development, the management of Zen Petroleum, one of the indigenous oil companies in the country, has joined the nationwide road safety campaign being waged by the NRSC ahead of this year’s yuletide.

The company, working in collaboration with the commission, took the campaign to drivers operating mainly within the Accra station in the Central Business District (CBD) of Takoradi.

In his opening remarks, the Corporate Communications Director of Zen Petroleum, Mr Paul Twum-Barimah, said the company had decided to take the road safety campaign to the drivers because of the important role they play in carrying passengers from one destination to another, especially during this festive season.

“Our quest to join the road safety campaign is also motivated by the desire to collaborate effectively with stakeholders to empower drivers to understand the dynamics of the transport sector in national development,” Mr Twum-Barimah added.

The acting Western Regional Manager of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Mr Frank Gasese, also informed the drivers of the new driving policy initiatives being rolled out to improve road safety in the country.

From Zambaga Rufai SAMINU, Takoradi