The Upper East Regional Head of the National Road Safety Authority, Zakaria Laari, has urged motorists, especially commercial drivers to desist from overspeeding during the Easter festivities to significantly reduce the crashes that occur during such celebration.
He explained that drivers are often pushed to increase their acceleration to be able to load frequently to make more money due to the intense demand for their services during such events.
Overspeeding has been identified as a major cause of road crashes in the region and Ghana as a whole hence the decision of the authority to engage drivers under the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU).
Speaking to Journalists on the sidelines of the interaction with drivers at the GPRTU conference hall in Bolgatanga as part of the authority’s Easter Campaign, held under the theme “stop speeding and stay alive.” Mr. Zakaria identified overspeeding, drunk driving, and fatigue as major causes of road carnages.
The campaign comes at a time when 90% of crashes recorded in Ghana are blamed on excessive speeding.
In 2023, 11,994 crashes were recorded with 19,000 vehicles being involved. 1,839 people died 1,678 injuries and 2,016 pedestrian knockdowns.
In the Upper East Region, 65 people died in 2023 due to road crashes with 90% being men. It is therefore the hope of the regional head that drivers will minimize how they speed to protect lives.
He further appealed to passengers to desist from mounting undue pressure on drivers to speed for them to reach their destination early.
“This campaign has become necessary because we realized that during this period, a lot of carnages, we record a lot of accidents and a lot of deaths so it will be proper for us to educate and sensitize our road users, especially the drivers. We have observed that during this period there is excessive speeding on the part of the drivers because they need to move from one location to another to go and pick up people they think they can rush to make more money so they tend to overspeed leading to accidents.”
He went on saying” Another thing that contributes to accidents is also drunk driving and fatigue among drivers and that is why we are urging them to be cautious to stay alive.”
As part of the campaign, the National Road Safety Authority equally educated drivers on the commencement of the registration of all vehicles on March 30, 2024.
The registration according to Mr. Zakaria is to help streamline the transport sector and reduce the incidence of crashes.
“From 30th March, Road Safety Authority per our new LI 2468, we are the lead agency to regulate the transport sector. So, they have to register with others before the vehicle can hit the road. It means that transport operators, schools, and public officers will be compelled to register with us.” He stated.
The Regional Chairman of GPRTU, Abdul Fatua Atinga, noted that sometimes, passengers mount undue pressure on them as he describes the training as a timely reminder of the role of the driver in preventing crashes.
