Improved Collaboration among all Road Actors needed to Reduce Road Accidents- BIGRS

The Program Coordinator for Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, Mr Osei Kufour has called on all stakeholders in the road safety space to improve collaboration to significantly reduce the surge in road crashes and fatalities in the country.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the CSOs Platform on Road Safety in Accra, Mr Osei Kufour noted that effective coordination and improved collaboration among the National Road Safety Authority, the Ministry of Transport, the Police, Civil Society Organizations, insurance companies, DVLA among others is one of the ways to address the menace on the road.

He said there is also the need to empower law enforcement agencies to diligently carry out more road traffic enforcement and interventions. He said the numerous fatal road accidents in the country area a result of poor road engineering, absence of street lights, behavioural risk driving including texting or receiving a call while driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.

“This is why I support the establishment CSOs Platform on Road Safety because with strength in numbers and intensive advocacy and dialogue we can engage policymakers, improve collaboration among all stakeholders to make our roads safe for all” he added

He tasked the platform to hold Road Safety capacity building and sensitization, Road Safety advocacy campaigns, targeted public awareness campaigns and collaboration with relevant road safety agencies to ensure effective enforcement of road safety laws.

The West African Regional Director for CUTS International, Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako noted that a strong road safety policy framework with sustained public advocacy and awareness campaigns and effective sensitization as well as enforcement of road regulations and laws by all stakeholders will reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities.

M Adomako explained that currently, road crashes are killing and injuring more Ghanaians than diseases already described as pandemics, hence, the government should declare road safety as a public health emergency to enable Parliament to approve more funding for road safety interventions.

This, according to him, should be part of the measures to curb the menace on the roads. “COVID-19 has so far killed 1,459 people in the country while road crashes had been responsible for the death of 1,443 persons between January and July this year alone and not to talk about road fatalities between March 2020 and December 31^st, 2021” he added.

To enhance the advocacy, Mr Adomako said the platforms of CSOs has been initiated to advocate and engage with policymakers on matters regarding road safety. “CSOs have over the years played a critical role in engaging with policymakers and government to advocate reforms aimed at making the country better. Through networking, advocacy and policy engagement, this platform can do a lot of work to cause the government to act on road safety,” he stated

Mr Adomako noted that the platform would hold Road Safety capacity building and sensitization, Road Safety advocacy campaigns, targeted public awareness campaigns and collaboration with relevant road safety agencies to ensure effective enforcement of road safety laws.