¢165,000 lost annually through road accidents

Sunyani (B/A), March 15, GNA- The country loses an amount of GH¢165,000 annually, representing 1.6 percent of the gross domestic product, through road accidents.

Mr Noble Appiah, Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, who disclosed this in Sunyani on Friday, said the amount covered medical expenses of victims, damage to vehicles and insurance cost among others.

He was interacting with members of the Brong-Ahafo Regional road safety committee and other stakeholders as part of a familiarization visit to the region.

Mr Appiah said statistics showed that pedestrians formed the majority of the country's population, who die through road accidents every year, adding that, 75 percent of them were men. The Executive Director said road safety promotion was a collective responsibility that should be tackled in a broader perspective and called for a national crusade for a massive public education on the need to minimize the rate of road accidents. Mr Appiah attributed the number of road accidents in the country to fatigue on the part of drivers and admonished them to rest in the course of their work when necessary. He said the commission was determined to ensure that Ghana becomes the safest transportation system in Africa with a single digit in road accidents by the year 2015.

Mr Appiah called for a collective responsibility between security agencies and the commission to put the necessary apparatus in place in helping to minimize road accidents and save lives. "There is no spirituality in road accidents", he said, and urged Ghanaians to dismiss such wrong perception and contribute their quota in curbing road accidents.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, James Oppong-Boanuh, Regional Police Commander and Chairman of the regional road safety committee said members had embarked on numerous activities to help reduce road accidents in the region.

DCOP Boanuh cautioned drivers to desist from unnecessary overtaking, speeding and overloading, and advised transport owners to ensure the regular maintenance of their vehicles in order not to expose the public to unnecessary dangers.