'Buy Genuine Cars'

The new Murano Car lunched A MINISTER of State, Amadu Seidu, has called on Ghanaians to ignore the temptation to acquire used cars and opt for new genuine ones to reduce the incidence of road accidents.

Delivering the keynote address Thursday in Accra to formally open the Ghana Auto Expo 2009 at the Trade Fair Site, Alhaji Seidu entreated members of the public to always patronize genuine vehicles, auto parts and accessories since these do not experience frequent breakdowns.

According to him, “over the years, safety on our roads has been compromised largely due to poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate public education and the low level of regulation enforcement.”

He added that buying genuine automobile parts saves costs.

Since the beginning of this year, about 600 lives have been lost as a result of accidents both on the highways and in the cities.

It is in this light that the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has been empowered by Government to undertake the revision of road safety standards for driver testing and training. Thus, DVLA will set up a model National Driver Training Institution in Accra for all categories of vehicles especially heavy duty and public service (mass transport) in collaboration with the Government Technical Training Centre (GTTC) as well as the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC).

Additionally, DVLA will establish separate standards for commercial transport and mass transport drivers to provide a testing ground for drivers, educate driving instructors, examiners as well as other stakeholders.

Government, furthermore, plans resourcing NRSC to continue to develop methods, produce and distribute road safety education and training manuals for teachers for distribution to school children.

Edith Dankwa, Executive Director, Business & Financial Times, organizers of the 3-day exhibition, in a welcome address, described the theme of the expo, “Making the right automotive choices to ensure safety on our roads,” as appropriate  and reiterated the need for automobile users to discipline themselves on the road.

Nissan Ghana also used the occasion to outdoor their new Nissan Murrano.

 Sponsors of the event include Total Ghana, Zain and Universal Motors.

By Samuel Boadi