Accra, June 18, GNA - The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and stakeholders, held a day's brainstorming workshop in Accra on Thursday, to secure an efficient system of managing commercial towing services.

The initiative aims at reducing the numerous accidents on the roads as a result of immobilized vehicles, which are abandoned on the highways.

Mr Noble John Appiah, Executive Director of the NRSC said the workshop would engage key stakeholders to provide strategies that would make the commercialization of vehicle towing services, efficient and sustainable nationwide.

He said the NRSC had received various proposals from potential service providers and the role of the participants was to review and refine these suggestions to enable the commission to formulate a strategy to address the concerns of all stakeholders. Mr Appiah said the commission and the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, had jointly given provisional authorisation to six towing service provider to operate at four zones in the country in an effort to put in place a short term measure to remove disabled vehicles from the highways.

Commenting on road fatalities, the Executive Director refuted media reports that described Ghana as the third accident prone country in the world.

"While we acknowledge that the present level of road traffic crashes is unacceptable, Ghana is not the third accident prone country. On the contrary, the fatality rate of 22 (deaths per 10,000 vehicles) is one of the lowest in developing countries. "We do not want to compare ourselves to developing countries, but to highly motorised countries such as Sweden where fatality rate is in a single digit," he said.

He said Ghana was also working towards achieving a single digit fatality rate by the year 2015.

Mr David Adonteng, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the NRSC, said under the Road Traffic Act 683, it was an offence for drivers to abandon their vehicles on a road, and offenders were liable to summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 25 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding eight months or both. He said a disabled vehicle should not be left on the road within built-up areas, cities, and towns for more than one hour. "Vehicles that break down on highways or motorways shall not be left there for more than two hours and shall be voluntarily removed within two hours," he said.

Mr Adonteng said in both cases the owners of the vehicles would be surcharged for the towing services and also processed for prosecution. He advised the vehicle owners to contact the nearest police station, while they call a towing service for assistance, to avoid prosecution.

He said in the effort to address the problems under the National Road Safety Strategy II, the Commission and MTTU had zoned the country's major roads into four.

Mr Adonteng explained that every zone has a towing service provider to manage the area.

He said zone one, which comprise Accra-Kumasi-Sunyani road corridor and adjoining links, was under RUTTCHEN Trucks Ghana Limited, while SARKOZY Limited is managing zone two, made up of Accra-Tema-Ho, Jasikan, Aflao road corridors and adjoining links. Zone three comprising Accra-Winneba-Cape Coast-Takoradi-Elubo road corridor and adjoining links is being managed by Traffic Management Signs and Systems Limited, while zone four "A" comprising Kumasi-Techiman-Kintampo-Tamale, Wenchi-Bole-Bamboi-Wa road corridor and adjoining links is being serviced by Abu and Serwaa Katakyie Company Limited.

Zone four "B" covering Kumasi-Techiman, Kumasi-Obuasi road corridors and adjoining links is being serviced by Day and Night Towing Service and Zone four "C" covering Tamale-Bolgatanga-Navrongo, Bolgatanga-Bawku road corridors and adjoining links is serviced by Umarib Ghana Limited.