Women in Logistics and Transport to start road safety project

The Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT), a women’s wing of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), is to commence a road safety project for commercial drivers in the Accra metropolis to support the road safety campaign.

The project, dubbed “Cease the bloodshed on our roads,” is expected to begin in July with the aim of raising awareness of commercial drivers in the metropolis on the changing trends in technology and road traffic regulations.

To achieve the aim, WiLAT will organise a two-day sensitisation and training workshop in July for commercial drivers which will subsequently be piloted in other cities across the country.

The training programme is a collaboration among WiLAT, the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) as well as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

Road Safety Project

Giving details at the launch of the training programme in Accra on Tuesday, the Chairperson of WiLAT, Dr Doreen Owusu-Fianko, said the project was expecting more than 250 licensed drivers from the various organised transport unions within the metropolis to participate.

She added that participants would be taken through topics such as fault detection and management, fuel efficiency, insurance regulation, speed awareness, road regulations and health-related issues.

Citing an example with the aviation industry, Dr Owusu-Fianko explained that the industry practised some safe standards and principles which must be applied to the road and transport industry to enhance the capacity of commercial drivers.

She noted that education was the key to safety and security in the road and transport industry, hence the need for drivers to undergo simulator sessions to update their knowledge.

Baffling Statistics

A representative of the Director of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Sasu-Mensah, indicated the MTTD recorded 3,683 accidents in 2014 and 621 in the first quarter of 2015.

He further added that 547 persons were killed in the road accidents that occurred and 395 had been reported dead in the first quarter of 2015.

With these baffling statistics, he underscored the need for stakeholders to increase efforts in a bid to reduce road accidents in the country.

Shared responsibility

In his closing remarks, the President of CILT, Mr Godwin Douglas Mensah, urged drivers to be vigilant when driving especially during the rainy season, since poor visibility could also lead to accidents.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility, let us all do what is expected of us,” he added.