Rise in C/R road accident deaths in 2007

A total of 152 people died and 873 injured in 633 recorded road accidents in the Central Region in 2007 as against 130 deaths and 786 injuries in 605 accidents in 2006.

Mrs Catherine Hamilton, Central Region Road Safety Co-ordinator, said this at a meeting with members of the Winneba Area Road Safety Committee at Winneba to discus how best the accident rate could be reduced in the area.

According to her, 725 vehicles were involved in accidents in 2007, down from 838 in 2006.

Mrs Hamilton said speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, fatigue, overloading and wrongful overtaking, as well as the use of second hand, were major causes of the accidents.

Records indicated that the Central Region placed fourth in road accidents in the country last year after Ashanti, Eastern and Grater Accra regions.

Mrs Hamilton said the National Road Safety Committee's (NRSC) strategic objective was to reduce road traffic accidents systematically to less than 100 by 2015.

"This will be achieved if various Road Safety Committees intensify vigorous educational programmes, monitor and evaluate road safety activities and develop and maintain a comprehensive data on road traffic accident".

She urged members of the committee to act as facilitators to sensitize the public, especially drivers to abide by road traffic regulations in order to help reduce accidents in the area.