Upper East Political Parties Sign Road Safety Agreement

POLITICAL parties in the Upper East Region on Tuesday signed an agreement with the Nationl Road Safety Commission at Bolgatanga.

Under the agreement, the parties will adopt the Road Safety Code in their campaigns to stem the spate of road accidents during the December election.

The agreement was signed at a one-day forum on the road safety code at Bolgatanga. It was aimed among other things at creating a platform for the participants to brain-storm on issues concerning the code with the view to adhering to it to ensure accident free political campaigns.

It was organised by the NRSC and attended by the regional executive of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention Peoples' Party (CPP), Peoples' National Convention (PNC), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Security agencies, transport organisations and other stakeholders.

In an address Mr Alexander Ayatah, the regional co-ordinator of NRSC, observed that election years were noted for the increase in the rate of road accidents with its attendant consequencies.

In this regard, he stressed the need for political parties to be committed to the code in order to reduce the spate of road accidents, before, during and even after the election.

Giving national statistics of accidents during the past election years, he stated that in 1992, total accidents recorded was 148 with 32 deaths and 227 people sustaining various degrees of injuries. In 1996, there were 147 accidents with 31 deaths and 263 people. In 2000, the rate shot up to 182 with 85 deaths and 227 injured, he added.

The regional co-ordinator stated that the 2004 election year recorded a total of 209 accidents with 54 deaths and 114 injured.

Mr Ayatah underscored the importance of the code and explained that adhering to it would undoubtedly save the lives of voters and non-voters alike, including children, and therefore advised participants do attach importance to the agreement.

Mr Innocent Avevor, who presided, said the signing of the agreement could be said to have achieved the desired results if the rate of road accidents reduced drastically this year.