The Eastern Corridor Road has spurred development in towns along its route, including Bimbilla and Yendi, but this progress has been accompanied by serious challenges, particularly road safety concerns.
In Yendi, located in the Northern Region, the frequent disregard for traffic regulations has led to a troubling rise in road accidents. Over 30 lives have been lost, with many others sustaining injuries in crashes within the municipality.
In response to the alarming trend, the Concerned citizens of Yendi, in collaboration with the Road Safety Commission, have launched a road safety awareness campaign. The initiative seeks to educate residents and road users about the importance of adhering to traffic laws to prevent further tragedies.
Mr Salifu Abdul Latif, Vice Chairman of the Concerned Citizens of Yendi, emphasized the significance of the campaign, urging all road users to comply with traffic regulations to ensure safer roads for everyone.
“We have come to realise that a lot of people within Yendi don’t know how to use the road and because of that, it is causing much havoc. A lot of people have died as a result of this. For that reason, we have come up with an educative programme that will make sure that at least we eradicate the accident as a result of the bad use of the road,” he stated.
He further stated that the group would work closely with security agencies to enforce discipline on the roads and apprehend violators.
The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service commended the Concerned Citizens for their initiative. Inspector Peter Boateng, the officer in charge of the MTTD in Yendi, pledged the department’s support to ensure sustained road discipline.
“Now that we have initiated this programme, we are going to do our best on the road to arrest anybody who flaunts the road traffic regulation rule,” he stated.
The GPRTU (Ghana Private Road Transport Union) of Yendi also expressed support for the campaign, with its chairman, Alhaj Inusah Amadu Dagomba boy, noting that the exercise would help curb road accidents.