Road Safety Commission to pull down electronic billboards along busy streets

The National Road Safety Commission will from October, raze all electronic billboards that do not meet advertising standards across the country.

Just at the Danquah Circle at Osu in Accra, motorists are greeted with very gigantic and flashy electronic billboards showing several obstructive motion pictures.

   
It is believed that their presence along the busy roads in the country, distract drivers and could cause serious road accidents.

Drivers plying the Danquah Circle route told Joy FM's Beatrice Adu that the billboards indeed distracted their attentions.

Senior Planning Officer at the NRSC, Samuel Asiamah explained to Beatrice that “especially with the electronic ones [billboards] they have a high potency of distraction because when you put a video or changing signages by the road side, drivers especially, will attempt to turn their attention to look at what the video messages were and not concentrate on the driving. We have a problem of where they are situated.”

According to him, research conducted into the phenomenon proved that it caused driver distraction and could possibly lead to accidents.

“We don't want to sit down and wait for an accident to happen. We have to be proactive,” he said.

He claimed the billboards did not meet the required standards and therefore, recommended that the advertising agencies scattered all over the country, should endeavor to acquire the standards from the Ghana Standards Authority.

Mr. Asiamah noted, the NRSC engaged with the Advertising Association of Ghana and other stakeholders to ensure that the billboards, which do not comply with the specifications by the GSA, are removed or relocated.

Myjoyonline.com also learnt that the intended exercise would involve all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the country.