212 Motor riders die in road accidents in nine months

Two hundred and twelve motor riders died in road accidents in the Accra Region from January to September this year.

According to records at the Accra Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), the number represents an average of almost 24 deaths monthly in the last nine months.

The MTTD Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Anderson Fosu-Ackah, said a total of 333 accidents, involving the riders, were recorded within the same period out of which 99 sustained serious injuries, 22 had minor injuries while 52 pedestrians were knocked down in the process.

Mr Fosu-Ackah disclosed this at the 2018 Postal and Courier Conference in Accra yesterday.

Among issues discussed were how technology could be used to drive businesses to greater heights.

Concerns

The commander expressed concern over the situation because “the riders, including those working for courier service operators, do not comply with traffic signs. Some even ride on the opposite side of the traffic or ride facing traffic. Courier service operators must ensure that their employees obey motor traffic regulations,” he admonished.

He also drew attention to incidents involving drunk riders saying, “a drunken motor rider also poses as much risk to the public as vehicle drivers, therefore, courier operators must ensure that they engaged only disciplined riders who were not drunk in their duties.'

According to Mr Fosu-Ackah, the indiscipline on the country’s roads required a collective action to stop the practice.

Clamp down 

A Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr George Andah, charged the Postal and Courier Service Regulatory Commission to clamp down on activities of illegal postal and courier service operators in the country.

“I will like to remind all e-commerce companies operating without licences to obtain them from the commission as required by the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Act 2013.

We need the regulator to show leadership in this country. This sector is extremely valuable. We need to tap into the value of this sector and be able to get the relevant revenue from this sector in order to fund the operations of the regulator,” he stated.  

The minister further urged stakeholders to “deliberate on providing innovative ideas to build the postal and courier sector in Ghana into a robust one capable of delivering world class services as it sets a cause for other countries to emulate.”

He announced that an e-commerce platform by the Ghana Post Company Limited would soon be launched to enable local retailers to access the global market while opening the Ghanaian market to the worldwide service.

Compliance

For his part, the Director, Licensing and Regulations of PCSRC, Mr John Olutey Otutye, said the commission would go after non-compliant operators with the assistance of the police to combat activities of illegal operators.

He said currently,130 companies had registered to operate courier services in the country.