Accra, Oct. 8, GNA - Stakeholders in the road transport sector in Ghana on Friday called for rigorous observance and enforcement of road traffic regulations to curb indiscipline and the rising rate of crashes on the roads.

They contended that enforcement of road traffic regulations was a major contributing factor in the reduction of road crashes therefore, regulatory and enforcement agencies should be adequately resourced and given the needed inputs to undertake their mandate.

The stakeholders made the call at the launch of International Road Transport Action Week being celebrated worldwide by road transport affiliates of the London-based International Transport Federation (ITF), to address challenges facing the road transport industry.

The celebration, spearheaded by the Federation of Transport Unions, Ghana (FTU), on the theme: “Respect and Safety Now”, is being undertaken in the context of quality public service delivery in the transport sector.

The campaign from October 7-14, would address bottlenecks to promoting, improving and extending access to quality public service.

Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Deputy Minister of Transport, said recent statistics on road crashes painted a gloomy picture that put government on edge, calling into focus the role of enforcement agencies to curb such occurrences.

She noted that even though the mere presence of enforcement personnel on roads was not enough deterrent, the rigorous enforcement of road regulations remained the most critical factor in the reduction of road crashes in the country.

The Deputy Minister said the Ministry in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission and other stakeholders had drafted a new Road Traffic Regulation that would soon be placed before Parliament for consideration.

She said the regulation, when enacted into law, would further strengthen the enforcement agencies to ensure that the roads were safe for commuters and other road users.

The regulations introduced in the new document, include prohibition of the use of communication devices while driving; the towing of disabled or broken down vehicles; the compulsory wearing of protective clothing and use of crash helmets when riding motor cycles and bicycles; the use of seat belts and spot fines.

Mrs Attivor noted that strategies to effectively deal with road traffic management to reduce fatalities would be incomplete if the expenditure on road safety was considered a cost, saying that government would continue to make all the necessary investment in the sector to make the roads safe.

She urged the private sector to contribute towards road safety activities, saying, “Crashes are no respecter of any person. Let us all join hands to address the carnage on our roads”.

Mr Emmanuel Armstrong Mensah, Vice President of ITF Global, encouraged industry players to ensure that they observed all regulations aimed at making the roads safer to create a viable transport industry in the country for accelerated national development.

He said ensuring safer roads called for the continuous sensitisation and training of road transport workers to operate effectively and efficiently on the rules and regulations in the industry.

Mr Mensah, who is also the General Secretary of General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union, said enforcement agencies should be given the “necessary bite” to carry out their roles effectively, insisting that all stakeholders should cooperate with them to reduce road crashes.

He urged management of transport organizations and transport owners to attach importance to the conditions of service of transport workers not to engender job satisfaction, which would in the turn reduce the incidence of crashes and other unwanted behaviours on the roads.

Mr Kwabena Frimpong, Head of Administration of Intercity STC, insisted that apart from the regulatory and enforcement agencies doing their part, other industry players like the transport unions and transport owners should insist that drivers drove for a specified number of hours daily to enable them stay alert at all times.

He stressed the need to upgrade the skills of drivers periodically to make them more competent, and called for improvement on the condition of roads to deal with crashes.

The week-long campaign would address health and safety in the industry, long hours of driving without rest, HIV and AIDS pandemic in the industry, vehicle maintenance culture, drunk driving, highway robbery, better working conditions of transport workers, speeding and overloading.