General News of Sunday, 13 December 2009

Source: GNA

Measures taken by UE Road Safety Commission make impact

Bolgatanga, Dec. 13, GNA- The Directorate of the Upper East Regional Road Safety Commission (RSC) has been able to achieve some of its mandate of ensuring that motor riders use crash helmets, insure their bikes and posses genuine license among others things before going on the road. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after a regional workshop on "Insurance and Compensation Fund", at the weekend, the Regional Manager of the RSC, Alexander Ayata, explained that they were able to carry out the mandate by collaborating with the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Police Service in September this year, to seize all motor cycles that did not have the necessary documentations to be on the road. He said they seized a considerable number of motorbikes from riders who did not have license, crash helmets, road worthy certificates and insurance certificates.

He said based on those measures, majority of the motor riders now have the necessary documents to be on the road. "A lot of people who were not wearing crash helmets have now started using them and the exercise is not going to be a nine day wonder," he said and cautioned those who were still adamant to go for the required documents. He also asked those who disobeyed traffic rules and regulations to desist from such acts or else when caught they would be dealt with drastically.

Mr. Ayata urged drivers, motor riders and all road users to be very vigilant when using the road, especially on the Navrongo and Bolgatanga -Bawku road where a lot of accidents usually occurred. He underscored the need for drivers to treat passengers as if they had signed a contract with them, by ensuring that their vehicles were road worthy, that they avoided drunkenness, overloading, overspending and obeyed all traffic regulations. The Legal Director of the National Insurance Commission, Mrs. Emma Ocran stressed the need for the public including the vehicle owners and drivers to take insurance policies particularly the life insurance. She explained that gone were the days where fraudster insurance companies were set up to cheat and dupe clients, and that the National Insurance Commission has been set up to regulate and monitors the activities of all insurance companies. 13 Dec. 09