Road accidents claim six lives a day

Accra, Nov. 8, GNA - On the average, six people are killed daily on our roads resulting in the death of about 1,800 people a year, Mr Kofi Frimpong, Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, said on Tuesday. "At the current rate it is estimated that between 2005 and 2010, a period of six years, accidents could claim 12,000 lives.

According to the Member who was making a statement on Road Accidents in Parliament, "at this rate, road accidents will be killing more people than any known deadly disease we have in Ghana". He said road accident killings involved pedestrians of whom 25 per cent were children below 16 years.

The Member said the Ashanti, Central, Eastern and Greater Accra Regions accounted for 81 per cent of road accident deaths. "Most accidents are attributable to over speeding, wrongful parking, wrongful overtaking, drink driving, over loading, improper maintenance of vehicles amongst others."

He said: "Beyond these, another cause of rampant road accidents is the lack of enforcement of traffic regulations on our roads and lack of proper training for our drivers. Many traffic violation also go unpunished."

Most of the Members, who contributed, had their own stories to tell as they called for remedial measures.

Mr Samson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister said: "I was one day driving my car slowly and gently. I had put on my seat belt. From nowhere, a taxi driver just ran into me. I later found out that he was very drunk."

Dr Richard Anane, Minister of Road Transport, said his outfit was using the media to highlight road accidents. He said the licensing and certification of drivers and vehicles were being intensified to get persons who were not fit to drive off the roads.