Road Safety Campaign For This Year's Easter Launched

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has launched the 2018 Easter Road Safety Campaign in Accra, with a call on drivers to adhere to road safety regulations before, during and after the festivity.

Mr Kweku Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, who made the call, said: 'We must collectively resolve to think safety in all our choices in the road environment and drive safely knowing that the families we leave behind count on us for their survival.'

He called on pedestrians and motor riders to similarly observe road traffic regulations and ply approved routes and urged passengers speak up when a driver over speeds.

The event, on the theme: 'Your Family Needs You Alive, Drive Safely, Think Safety,'' brought together more than 200 commercial drivers, government officials, road safety and law enforcement agencies and road users to raise awareness on the need to observe road safety.

The campaign is aimed at creating greater awareness of the risks associated with road use during Easter and the need for the public, especially drivers, passengers and pedestrians to desist from acts and behaviours that could endanger their lives and that of others.

Mr Asiamah said data available at the NRSC indicates that nearly 70 per cent of all persons killed and seriously injured through road traffic crashes were men and about 60 per cent of crash victims were within the productive age bracket of 18 to 55 years.

He said: 'This trend means we are building communities of widows and orphans out of indiscipline. It means that we are making tourism (domestic and foreign) unattractive while increasing the economic cost of road traffic crashes and this must change''.

Mr Asiamah said the country needed the energies of productive compatriots to build a country that is not reliant on aid and, therefore, road safety records must be improved to increase productivity, boost tourism, improve growth and reduce poverty.

He said the Ministry was taking steps to review the entire Road Traffic Regulations to address some identified gaps and emerging concerns.

Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, the Chief Executive Officer of NRSC, said the campaign was to complement other road safety measures to raise awareness on best practices.

She said the campaign was significant in tackling the high number of road traffic crashes.

The situation, she said was as a result of over speeding, wrongful overtaking non-compliance with road safety regulations, the absence of road signs and road markings, street lighting and safe crossing facilities for pedestrians impacted negatively on the situation in some regards.

The Commission, Mrs Obiri-Yeboah explained, had lined up intensive campaigns in readiness for the potential for increased risk during the festive season to reduce the crashes.

Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi, the Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, expressed the Ministry's commitment to support the campaign by ensuring best road maintenance practices.

Mr David Asante-Apeatu, the Inspector General of Police, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Police, together with key stakeholders, would embark on massive road safety awareness to sensitise road users on the need to be safety conscious.

He said the Police Administration would deploy traffic personnel including Accident Prevention Squads on high risk roads and highways to manage and control traffic, check excessive speeding, drink and reckless driving and overloading among other things to deal with lawless drivers.