Bolgatanga, Aug. 17, GNA - Bill boards put at wrong places has been identified as one of the major causes of road accidents in the country, Mr Thomas Bismark Boakye, Upper East Regional Manager of National Road Safety Commission said.

Mr Boakye stated this in Bolgatanga on Tuesday when the Commission organized a road safety training programme for 80 organizations and government institutions.

They include the Police Service, Fire service, Regional Coordinating Council, Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation, Information Service and transport officers and managers.

The participants were taken through safe driving, proper maintenance of vehicles and traffic regulations.

Mr Boakye appealed to the Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies ((MMDAs) to ensure that bill boards mounted at wrong places were removed to avert accidents.

He said other causes of road accidents include organizations that employed unqualified drivers who were not certified by any driving training institution.

He entreated those who wanted to engage the services of drivers to ensure that they engaged only trained and certified drivers.

He stressed the need for transport officers and managers to ensure that their vehicles had good regular maintenance.

Mr Boakye indicated that most drivers did not understand traffic regulations such as road signs, road markings and signals adding that overloading, over-speeding, drunkenness and obtaining of licenses through unapproved means were also contributory factors.

He advised passengers to insist on their rights by reporting drivers who misconducts themselves to the police for necessary action to be taken.

Mr Boakye warned that motor riders who did not use helmets in the municipality and without the necessary road worthy documents would be prosecuted when caught.

He said the National Road Safety Commission's objectives were to promote best safety practices for all categories of road users including pedestrians so as to reduce accidents on roads in the country.