ASP Michael Daniel Zah, Western Regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), has indicated that driving requires skill and concentration at all times.

To this end, he has warned drivers not drive whilst under the influence of alcohol or drug because it could affect their driving ability and cause accidents.

According to him, driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol impaired judgment and increased the risk of accidents.

He indicated that even though there were strict rules on how much alcohol one could drink when in the driving seat, he preferred drivers do not take in alcohol at all while driving.

The Regional MTTD Commander was addressing drivers at a road safety programme organised by the National Road safety Commission (NRSC), in collaboration with Zen Petroleum.

It was under the theme: ‘Empowering Road Users To Demand Safety.’

Samuel Asiamah, the Western regional head of the NRSC, called on passengers to speak up against recalcitrant drivers who flout basic traffic laws.

According to him, statistics from the NRSC indicated that about 132 people died in road crashes from January to September, 2014 in the Western Region.

He disclosed that the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway, popularly known as the black spot, and the Takoradi-Tarkwa road witnessed most of the tragic accidents.

Mr Asiamah attributed the accidents partly to indiscipline on the part of drivers, passengers and other road users in general.

He urged managers of lorry stations to conduct diligent maintenance checks on the vehicles before departure.

The NRSC Head also encouraged drivers to have enough rest before embarking on journeys, stressing, “Fatigue and drunk driving, wrongful overtaking, over speeding and disregard for road traffic regulation are some of the major causes of road crashes.”

Mr Asiamah encouraged passengers not to hesitate to caution drivers when they observe any unusual and dangerous behaviours on the part of drivers on the road.

He also urged transport owners to ensure that their vehicles are regularly maintained.

The NRSC Head advised all road users, especially pedestrians, to use zebra crossings at all times, and urged drivers to stop when pedestrians were seen at the zebra crossings.

A representative of Zen Petroleum, Paul Twum, noted that his outfit was collaborating with the NRSC to embark on massive public education to help reduce accidents on the road.

He appealed to drivers to be careful on the roads, and avoid unnecessary speeding, overtaking and overloading since they were some of the major causes of accidents on the roads.

During an open forum, the drivers appealed to road contractors and engineers to intensify their supervision and monitoring of roads constructions in a bid to reduce accidents on the roads.