Brong-Ahafo: 539 Pedestrian Knockdowns Recorded

There is an increasing trend in pedestrian knockdowns, as road crashes witness a sharp decrease in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Statistics from the Regional office of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) indicate that 539 people died through 327 pedestrian knockdowns recorded in the region within two years (2016-2017).

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a pre-Easter road safety education and enforcement exercise at Kintampo, Mr Kwesi Agyenim Boateng, the Acting Brong-Ahafo Regional Head of the NRSC said the knockdowns injured 1,733 people.

It was jointly organised by the NRSC in collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) at the Tamale main station and the Kintampo-Tamale highway.

The commercial drivers were sensitised on the Road Traffic Regulation, tyre safety and vehicle maintenance.

Mr Boateng advised parents and guardians to escort their children and wards to school and endeavour to take them back so that they would reach home safely and advised drivers to reduce speeding in town.

He said it was mandatory for drivers to ensure that passengers wore their seat belts before journeying.

As the Easter festivities gathers momentum, Mr Boateng said his outfit in collaboration with the key stakeholders would intensify road safety enforcement warning that offending drivers would be prosecuted.

He condemned drunk-driving, overloading and unnecessary speeding, saying it had been established that 90 percent of all road accidents were as a result of human error.

Mr Boateng advised drivers to check their tyres, brakes, and lighting systems before they set-off their journeys and entreated passengers to also report careless and irresponsible drivers to the police.

On road accidents, he indicated that road crashes decreased from 670 cases in 2016, to 503 cases in 2017, adding there was a sharp decline in number of deaths from 286 to 253 in that order.

The number of people injured also decrease from 945 to 788.

Mr Boateng urged motorists and all road users to be careful especially during the night to help minimise accidents before during and after the Easter festivities.

GNA
By Dennis Peprah, GNA