Gov't Scales Up Efforts To Stop Accidents

Spot fines for road traffic offences are in the process of being instituted as part of efforts to cut down on road traffic morbidity and mortality.

Vice President Aliu Mahama said this forms part of long-term measures to improve upon road traffic safety and make Ghana an investor-friendly and tourism destination. He said the Police Service would also establish an office for a Chief Traffic Officer with the support of uniformed traffic police officers to check road traffic regulations and offences.

This was contained in a speech read for him by Dr Richard Anane, Minster for Roads and Transport at the annual Ghana Medical Association (GMA) lectures in Accra, which began yesterday. This year's lecture is on the theme, "Carnage On Our roads - Impact On The Health Of The Nation."

The Vice President said the metro mass transport services were introduced to solve urban transport problems and help cut down on accidents committed by low capacity vehicles such as taxis and minibuses which together with heavy duty vehicles were responsible for 50 per cent of fatalities on the roads.

He said the Ministry of Health was in the process of establishing the national ambulance service system to assist accidents victims. He said road traffic accidents were expected to overtake HIV/AIDS and malaria in causing morbidities and mortalities. He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) was designating the year 2004 as road safety year since the issues had assumed alarming proportion.

Alhaji Aliu said the economic cost of road traffic accidents amounted to 100 million dollars annually. He said four highly motorised countries, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark had a road traffic fatality rate (deaths per 10,000 vehicle involved in accident) of between 1.5 and 2.3. He said Ghana had 73 and Benin 14 and Guinea 121 road traffic fatalities. He said on the average six people lose their lives daily in the country with factors such as overspending, drunk driving and poor road being responsible.

The Vice President said government was embarking upon road construction, strengthening of institutions responsible for regulations and updating of legislation to help cut down on accidents.

Dr Jacob Plange-Rhule, the GMA President, appealed to the Ministry of Health to step up efforts at establishing the national ambulance service. The GMA president said accidents, which were mainly preventable, were an added burden to the already overstretched health systems.

Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Health Minister, called for more education and disciple, saying vehicles had become weapons being used to kill people. Recent statistics in Ghana show that in 2001, 15,680 vehicles were involved in road traffic accidents with 1,250 people losing their lives while in 2002, 18,327 vehicles were involved in accidents resulting in 1,148 deaths.