All commercial vehicles to have speed limiters to help prevent road accidents - NRSC

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) as part of new moves to help prevent road accidents is to ensure that all commercial vehicles are fitted with speed limiters.

According to the NRSC, it intends to lead a conversation on the implementation of the Regulation on Speed limiters, which requires that all commercial vehicles must be fitted with speed limiters to help manage speeds as a major contributory factor to road traffic crashes.

At a press briefing in Accra on Sunday, the NRSC said it was also working to get to the stage where it may be able to sanction public transport service providers for lapses in their operational standards which is a culture that underline the safety of the airline industry.

To the Executive Director of the NRSC, Mrs May Obiri Yeboah, the commission needs public support for the implementation of this and many other critical road safety interventions.

"In recent times, we [NRSC] have been at the receiving end of some resistance for the introduction of one road safety measure or the other," she said.

On Friday, March 22, an unfortunate incident of two road traffic crashes claimed more than 60 lives and injured many on the Techiman-Kintampo highway and the Accra-Cape Coast highway.

Read also: Horrific: Over 80 perish in 2 road accidents

Road traffic crashes have seen an upsurge of road deaths and injuries from the beginning of 2019.

Available statistics from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the police indicates that from January 2019 to end of February 2019, a total of 411 persons have been killed and 2048 injured through road traffic crashes in Ghana.

A committee made up of representatives from the Interior, Transport, Roads and Highways that recently looked into the problem of road crashes following President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's directive identified indiscipline as the main contributory factor to the increasing incidents of traffic crashes.

This, the committee concluded was due to, disrespect for road traffic laws and regulations related to travel speeds, overtaking, driving under influence of alcohol and drugs, long driving periods, disregard for traffic regulations by motor riders including non-use of crash helmets among others.

CLICK LINK BELOW TO READ MORE ON WHAT THE NRSC IS DOING TO HELP PREVENT ROAD CRASHES

Last week's accidents

Touching on last week's accidents, the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah reiterated government's commiserations to the victims and families affected by accidents which claimed over 60 lives.

Related: Accident claims close to 60 lives at Amoma Nkwanta near Kintampo

President Nana Akufo-Addo speaking within hours of the incident on Friday morning, sympathised with the families, and challenged the Police council which is seized with the power to regulate road traffic, to speedily implement the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee set up last year to propose ways to deal with carnage on roads.

"Government has also undertaken to underwrite the treatment costs of the injured," Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.

He said reducing road accidents in the country is a major priority for government and said that was the reason why agencies like the National Road Safety Commission and the Police MTTD continue to receive support from central government to address road safety issues and also to tackle the major factors that contribute to road accidents in the country.

"Government is also reviewing the road traffic regulations to address some implementation challenges as well as incorporate innovations in the management of road transport services," he added.

"We must also scale up road safety education and sensitization to ensure compliance to road safety measures, procedures, and policies," Mr Oppong Nkrumah said. 

Read also: Accident: More than 30 feared dead

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

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