Six deaths recorded during Christmas in Central Region

Six people lost their lives in 14 motor accidents recorded in the Central Region during the Yuletide, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has disclosed.

Five of the deaths that occurred at Gomoa Amanfi on the Cape Coast - Winneba Highway on Tuesday, December 27 at around 1210 hours is yet to be captured by the Regional MTTD.

The only death recorded occurred at Assin Fosu.

Chief Inspector Johnson Gyabaah, Station Officer of the MTTD in Cape Coast who made this known to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday said the accidents occurred from Saturday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 27.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Charles Obiri, Winneba MTTD Commander briefing the media on Wednesday at Winneba said the accident involved a sprinter bus travelling from Obuasi to Accra with 22 passengers on board.

He said the driver upon reaching Gomoa Amanfi, had a burst tire and somersaulted.

He said one person died on the spot while four others were confirmed dead at the hospital with the rest responding to treatment at the Winneba Trauma Hospital.

Giving the breakdown of the statistics, Chief Inspector Gyabaah said the accidents involved 10 commercial vehicles, four private vehicles and four motorbikes leaving 16 people injured.

He said one of the accidents was fatal; eight were serious while four were minor with two pedestrian knockdowns.

Chief Inspector Gyabaah said Assin Fosu and Kasoa recorded the highest with five cases each, followed by Elmina, which recorded two cases, whilst Cape Coast, Mankessim and Swedru did not record any accident case during the period.

He noted that about 90 per cent of road crashes were as a result of human error, which could have been prevented if the drivers had been a little careful.

He cautioned drivers, especially those who travel long distances, against driving tired and observe all road traffic rules and regulations, to avoid being involved in accidents.

He encouraged passengers to politely call drivers to order or report them to the nearest police checkpoints when they drove recklessly.