As part of efforts towards ensuring an accident-free festive season, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will today [Tuesday, November 12] launch a road safety campaign dubbed the ‘AMA Road Safety Mass Media Campaign’.
Over the years, there has been a hike in road crashes during Christmas festivities.
Although this year has seen a slight decrease in road fatalities, the Assembly has noted that it is committed to reducing it to the barest minimum.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, spoke to Citi News.
“Now that we are approaching Christmas, we don’t want to see the annual ritual of the increase in road crash fatalities. I do not think that there should be a linkage and if there is that linkage, then we should be able to step up and enforce the law so that we can save lives and properties in this country.”
He continued by saying: “We are launching the mass road safety campaign. Fortunately, it’s going to be dovetailed into the Christmas festival. Road safety is very key and its part of our key agenda.”
Ahead of the launch of the campaign, the AMA, a few weeks ago, cautioned drivers who over speed when driving to stop the practice.
Addressing drivers caught speeding at a test exercise to check over speeding along the 37- Kawukudi stretch of the Obasanjo Highway in Accra, Mr. Adjei Sowah lamented the increasing rate of speeding-related accidents within the metropolis.
According to him, over 70% of cases of road accidents are linked to speeding in which innocent third party road users had been victims.
He said: “One major problem that we have in Accra today is over speeding. And it appears that once the road surface is smooth, all you need to do is to press the accelerator and not care about the speed limit. This is not right at all. Today we are just cautioning all of you [the drivers]. Don’t let it happen again. This is for your own safety. We are not here to just arrest people but to help.
Deaths from road accidents drop by 7.6%
Data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of Ghana Police Service revealed that the number of commuters killed in road traffic accidents between January and September 2019 has dropped by 7.6%.
The deaths reduced from 1,710 between January and September in 2018 to 1,580 during the same period this year.
The total number of reported accidents also rose from 10,051 last year to 10,240 this year, representing a marginal 1.88% increase.
The break of reported cases are; fatal -1,386, serious – 3,222 and minor- 5,632.