GFA, PLB signs up to Road Safety campaign

The Ghana Football Association and the Premier League Board as part of their social responsibility will observe Remembrance Day for victims of road traffic crashes.

Football is been used to raise awareness and positively affect the lives of people about ensuring road safety which remains a developmental concern.

The third Sunday in November every year has been adopted by the United Nations to acknowledge victims of road traffic crashes and their family as the World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Crash Victims.

On this occasion, Ghana's National Road Safety Commission - NRSC and the PLB wish to join several families and football fans to commiserate the deaths and injuries to their relatives while cautioning football fans across the country in or out of the stands to embrace best road use practices that will prevent the occurrences of crashes and their resultant casualties at all times.

Speaking about the importance of Remembrance Sunday, Welbeck Abra Appiah, Chairman of the Premier League Board said: “Road safety affects everybody including football teams and fans. We are trusting that this gesture will revive our consciousness as football fans and road users generally for the public good.”

A minutes silence will be observed ahead of the Glo Premier League match between rivals Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday November 18, 2012.

Ing. Noble John Appiah of the NRSC added: “This collaboration goes to emphasize the fact that road safety is a shared responsibility. It is our expectation that this observation will renew the responsibility of football teams and their supporters to embrace the safety culture required to deliver road safety especially before and after football matches.”

Road traffic crashes account for an average of 2000 deaths and 14,000 injuries every year with almost 60% of crash victims falling within the productive age bracket of 18-55 leading to an economic loss of 1.6% of our GDP translating into US$ 418million in 2009 alone.