Executive worried about spate of road accidents

Accra, Feb. 26, GNA- The government on Thursday expressed concern about the spate of motor accidents on the nation's roads, and directed stakeholder institutions to strengthen their surveillance mechanisms to reduce the carnage on the roads.

In a remark, President John Atta Mills called for discipline to protect the lives of road users, saying, "we are losing far too many lives; we don't want the people of Ghana dead, we want them alive and well."

He therefore called for ways to remove stationary vehicles, which had been identified as a major cause of accidents.

In an interaction with a delegation of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), President Mills expressed dissatisfaction at the presence of stationery vehicles, especially on the Accra-Kumasi Road, and said despite mechanical faults, the lack of discipline and presence of such stationary vehicles had contributed greatly to the accidents.

The delegation was at the Castle, Osu, to congratulate the President and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, on their ascending to the two highest political positions of the land.

President Mills said road transport carried about 97 per cent of the passenger and freight and it was an important participant in the growth of the economy.

He noted however that, it only was necessary to construct roads, but also to ensure the safety of road users, and urged the GPRTU to use its machinery to enforce discipline on the roads.

Within two weeks, about 90 lives are reported to have been lost through road traffic accidents at different parts of the country. Vice President John Mahama described some drivers as killers. He called for regular eye tests, at least once a year and said drivers must be conversant with road signs, and avoid drunk driving. He also called for self-regulation and gave the assurance that Government would encourage the banks to assist Transport Owner Associations to buy vehicles on hire purchase.

Alhaji Yaw Manu, National Chairman of the GPRTU, who led the delegation appealed for a return of the management of the lorry parks to the GPRTU.

Also at the Castle was a delegation from Iran, led by Mohammad Reza Bagheri, a Deputy Foreign Minister for Arabic and African Affairs to deliver a message from the Iranian President. The message is believed to congratulate President Mills on his election, and how the two countries could forge bilateral co-operation for mutual benefits.

President Mills commended Ghana-Iran ties and said in the face of the world's financial crisis, now was time to use the co-operation between the two countries to the advantage of their peoples. "We are all eager to resume our relations. Welcome to Ghana," President Mills said.