MPs want stakeholders to prevent road accidents

Members of Parliament (MPs) have called for a concerted effort by the government, the police and motorists to prevent or reduce the increasing road accidents in the country.

They called for improvement of road conditions and fixing of street lights, and asked the police to enforce the compliance of road traffic regulations.

The legislators also urged motorists to avoid speeding and working on their mobile phones while driving.

Consequently, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, ordered the Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, to appear before Parliament within the next two weeks to brief the House on programmes and actions the ministry intends to take to prevent accidents during the Christmas festivities.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Ledzokuku, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, set the stage for the discussion when he read a statement on "Avoidable Road Traffic Accidents, the Role of the Citizen versus the Duties of the State" in Parliament today (Tuesday).

The country has recorded numerous fatal motor accidents within the last two weeks. The NPP MP for Awutu-Senya West and Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr George Andah was also involved in motor accident in his constituency last Saturday.

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Increasing accidents

Reflecting on the recent developments, Dr Okoe Boye said, "The immediate past week witnessed a series of road accidents and most of the lives lost could have been saved if citizens had resorted to discipline on the road vis-a-vis avoidance of speeding."

He said some of the deaths were as a result of the absence of some vital accessories needed on the road to prevent pedestrian from endangering their lives.

Dr Okoe Boye recalled that last weekend, Mr Andah was involved in a near fatal accident and lauded the medical team at the 37 Military Hospital for the professional assistance in helping to save his life.

Again, he said some Ghanaians on a Sprinter bus that travelled at the weekend on the Accra-Cape Coast Road had an accident and six people lost their lives.

Dr Okoe Boye said despite the fact that the phrase " Over speeding Kills" was written all over the Accra-Cape Coast Road stretch, "people die daily from the recklessness of some drivers."

He, therefore, called for the prosecution of drivers engaged in dangerous driving and called for the publicisation of the names and image of the most dangerous drivers of the month for cities and municipalities.

Speeding and mobile phones

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Pusiga, Ms Laadi Ayii Ayamba, said if drivers were prosecuted for speeding and writing or reading text messages on their phones, they would be discouraged from that negative practice.

"Speeding can be avoided. People should be brought to book. If you are caught reading a text message or typing, it is an offence and need to be prosecuted", she said.

The NDC MP for Adaklu, Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, urged stakeholders to raise funds to fix the roads and asked drivers to adhere to driving limits.

The NPP MP for Madina, Mr Abu-Bakar Saddique Boniface, said the Ministry of Roads and Highways had given contracts for the construction of six footbridges on the Madina-Adenta stretch of the Tetteh Quarshie-Aburi Highway.

The NPP MP for Adentan, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa, said the Ministry of Roads and Highways had inherited contract arrears and was struggling to raise money to pay the debt and work on roads.