Tema, April 30, GNA - Haulage drivers in Tema on Wednesday said absence of parking spaces along highways had compelled them to park their trucks on shoulders or almost in the middle of roads.

The drivers said when their trucks develop fault, they do their best to find appropriate place to back "but where it becomes impossible we park along the roads against our wishes."

The drivers said this during question and answers time at a forum organized for them by the Ghana Shippers Council on the need to drive responsibly and observe traffic regulations. The programme was organised against the backdrop of recent accidents that resulted in loss of lives and horrendous injuries. Speakers included Mr Kofi Nbiah, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Council, and Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah of the National Road Safety Commission.

The drivers also blamed the inefficiency of some drivers on fake licences issued to them by some "Goro boys" who parade as staff of the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority and expressed the hope that the practice would stop to bring sanity into the driving profession. The drivers appealed to the authorities to put danger signs at all accident prone areas.

Mr Mbiah said the Shippers Council is envisaging a legal regime that would ensure that within a specified time frame the haulage of cargo would be undertaken only in containerized trucks or in containers. However, where cargoes are to be carried on flat beds a permit would be secured with a view to ensuring that all requisite safety measures have been adhered to.

"The present system of 'me bo me ho modin' trucking must give way to a better organized system which ensures that we would build a strong system of financial capital for haulage truck owners to retool, modernize their fleet, re-engineer their operations and bring it in consonance with international standards."

Mrs Obiri-Yeboah reminded drivers to respect the law binding them not to travel beyond eight hours as they would be tired.