Ghana Needs You Alive Ii

Road accident statistics 2018

I chanced upon a video last week of a road accident somewhere in the central region, it was gory and saddening, there were 7 casualties and over 60 persons with various degrees of injuries; the road was virtually painted with human blood. A KIA rhino truck containing over 50 funeral revelers collided with a sprinter bus resulting in the gruesome crash.

Prior to the yuletide season 2018, I posted an article focusing on the efforts of the Ghana police service and the national road safety commission towards reducing the carnage on our roads, I once again commend the hard work of these state institutions.

2019 is still in its infantile stages, yet the bloodshed on our roads continues unabated, the question I ask is, why these deaths inspite of several warnings by state authorities? , what makes this question more puzzling is the road in the 5mins 24 secs video is in a good condition (well tarred).

Brooding over this question I came to the understanding that vehicles are machines which acts on the orders of a human, if you cherish to move at a high or low speed it all boils down to the discretion of the driver, the availability of other road users (vehicles and pedestrians) and the condition of the vehicle.

I cannot fathom why a driver knowing very well he is carrying human lives will carry passengers in excess of vehicle capacity, it was clear in the video that the KIA rhino carried more than 50 revelers in a vehicle which is meant to carry goods.

Speeds kills, no argument about this and it is for this reason that drivers are advised to move at considerable speeds to afford them enough time to react should there be impromptu events on the road. I boarded STC from Kumasi to Tamale over the weekend and I must commend their drivers for the sheer display of professionalism throughout the journey; indeed they took me home safely as their slogan states “we take you there safely”.

Sometime back, I was awestruck when I boarded an extremely dilapidated vehicle plying the roads of Accra, what shook me to the core was that, the vehicle’s road worthy certificate was valid. The question I posed to myself was” who on earth gave the vehicle owner the certificate to carry passengers to their death”; this is not an isolated case, countless vehicles move around our cities in very poor states. I am tempted to believe that persons responsible for checking the health of vehicles on our roads are failing us, talk of the police, DVLA and the NRSC.

I experienced first-hand the challenges our drivers face when travelling on roads that are poorly demarcated, on my journey to Tamale from Kumasi November last year (in a private vehicle), I noticed a large chunk of the roads had not been properly demarcated for easy identification of lanes at night. Coupled with potholes, these factors makes it challenging to navigate smoothly especially if you are new to such roads.

The premiering of Anas’s current investigative piece, drew my mind to a previous investigation on road accidents in which drivers were found to have taken alcohol prior to embarking on journeys. Their reason being that, it invigorates their performance behind the wheels. We are at great risk if steps are not taken to deal ruthlessly with drivers who take in tots of alcohol before starting their journeys.

I have come across numerous occasions where passengers pressurize good drivers to move at top speeds just to reach their destinations faster. This practice places some amount of mental pressure on drivers to move against their choice of speed and journey time. In short, some passengers are responsible for accidents on our roads.

Statistics from the MTTD of the Ghana Police service indicates a total vehicular accidents of 22,025 in 2018 of 2341 deaths were recorded and 13,677 injuries; greater Accra, eastern and Ashanti regions recorded the highest deaths of 460,405 and 399 respectively.

I observed with great concern in the video, the number of people who stood as onlookers whiles victims of the accident cried for help agonizingly, the social psychological phenomenon “by stander effect”, was in full force as most onlookers failed to offer first aid to the victims. I urge Ghanaians to offer themselves in help when these events come their way; it could be you someday.

It is my utmost wish that Ghana witnesses fewer carnage on our roads this year, this wish will not come out of the blue, it takes dedicated efforts by state authorities and citizens to work assiduously towards preventing road accidents.

As we grow into 2019, I urge drivers and passengers alike to observe road safety regulations strictly and ensure we sail through the year with less casualties; regardless of Government’s efforts, citizens’ efforts counts in the quest to reduce road accidents.

God bless our homeland Ghana.