Road travel has become risky

The scourge of road accidents in Ghana manifested once again last Wednesday when Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s team bus carrying players and officials of the club to Kumasi after a premier league match against Inter Allies in Accra was involved in a fatal accident near Nkawkaw, leaving one official dead and other occupants of the vehicle injured.

The bus reportedly rammed into a loaded cargo truck which was also heading towards Kumasi.

As the accident threw the nation into lamentation, it also gave a pointer to the fact that Ghana is gradually losing its rich human resource to needless accidents on our roads and the situation calls for urgent attention.

It is unacceptable for the country to lose thousands of lives through road accidents at a time when there have been many educational campaigns to help reduce accidents.

The deadly nature of our roads is well reflected in the number of deaths and injuries recorded from accidents, many of which are preventable.

According to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), from January 2016 to November 2016, a total of 11,378 road crashes, involving 17,746 vehicles, occurred in the country, resulting in the death of 1,990 people, with injuries to 10,154 others.

Every day, more lives are being lost because of the disregard for road traffic regulations. Vehicles ramming into stationary trucks are a constant feature on our busy roads and it is very scary nowadays to travel in the night on roads with limited road signs.

A report from the NRSC identified speeding, drink-driving, lack of driving skills and fatigue driving as the major causes of road crashes in the country.

Many Ghanaians have questioned the relevance of the police on the roads when drivers continue to abuse the system with impunity.

With abandoned break-down vehicles identified as a major cause of road crashes, the NRSC attempted to implement a mandatory yearly towing fee effective July 1, 2017.

Fees for commercial and private vehicles were fixed from GH¢20 to GH¢200, depending on vehicle tonnage, but the implementation was suspended following protests by drivers and transport unions, who described the fees as an attempt to fleece car owners.

The Kumasi-Accra highway carries loads of heavy-duty trucks daily, and with the expansion of the Tema Harbour to position it as the leading maritime hub in West Africa, the number of trucks that ply the highway is expected to increase tremendously.

It is in this regard that the Daily Graphic calls for a re-look at the suspended annual towing fees regime meant to clear the roads of unwanted vehicles.

We believe that the policy itself is not a bad one, considering the inherent benefits and we urge all to soberly reflect on the towing programme devoid of the populist sentiments that it is intended to enrich someone at the expense of vehicle owners.

Much as we agree that car owners and drivers have reasons to complain about certain deficiencies in the policy, it will be untenable to completely throw it away.

The Daily Graphic urges the parties to look for a middle line if the fees are believed to be on the higher side.

We also urge the NRSC in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to do more by intensifying road safety awareness and public education across the length and breadth of the country.