Koforidua, Sept. 04, GNA - Fifty-five drivers were sent to court in August for various road traffic offences in the Eastern Region and were made to pay a total of GH¢11,704 as fines to the court.

The offences committed by the drivers include overloading, wrongful overtaking, over speeding, jumping of red lights and driving without the requisite driving license.

This was disclosed by the Eastern Regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Mr James Sarfo-Peprah, in an interview with the GNA at Koforidua over the weekend.

He said drivers arrested by the Akropong Divisional Command paid the highest fine of GH¢4,760 followed by Akosombo, Koforidua, Kibi, Nkawkaw and Akim Oda divisions in that order.

He said in the same month, 125 cases of accidents were recorded where 20 lives were lost and 165 were left with serious injuries and appealed to the general public to assist the police in reporting offending drivers.

Superintendent Sarfo-Peprah said despite the permissible driving speed limit of between 30 and 50 Kilometers per hour in towns and villages, drivers still over speed and continue to knock down people on the roads.

He said from January to July, 117 persons had been knocked down and killed by speeding drivers in various parts of the region and in August alone, 22 pedestrians have been killed.

He called on the general public to take interest in road safety matters adding that they should report misbehaving drivers to the authorities.