Most serious fatal traffic crashes in the Volta Region in the past six months were recorded in rural areas, Mr. Sebastian Akyeampong, Volta Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has said.

He said it was due to “lack of road safety knowledge” and activities of commercial motorcycle riders who “create conflicts on the road.”

Mr. Akyeampong was speaking at a mid-year review of the Commission in Kumasi, on the theme: “Assessing the 23 per cent reduction in National Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) and fatalities in 2012.”

He said the region recorded 452 road crashes in the first half of the year in which 98 people died and 535 people injured.

Mr. Akyeampong said 82 persons were knocked down by vehicles during the period with Keta Municipality recording the most serious knock-down cases in 32 crashes.

He said, location of residential areas close to highways in the region was a major factor and called on traditional rulers and opinion leaders to help the NRSC to educate people on road safety.

Mr. Akyeampong said the Ho-Denu and Ho-Asikuma highways recorded the most grievous road fatalities in the region.

He said the bad sections of the Asikuma-Hohoe and Kadjebi-Nkwanta roads also accounted for frequent road crashes on those stretches.

Mr. Akyeampong expressed the hope that the situation would improve with the completion of the Eastern Corridor road project, and curtailing the activities of commercial motor riders would also help improve the road safety situation in the region.

He expressed regret that despite the Commission’s interventions including public education on radio, many rural dwellers were losing their lives trying to cross the roads.

Mr. Akyeampong said the Commission was intensifying activities at the grass roots and expressed the hope that road safety would be a subject for discussion at the household level.**