NRSC directs transport unions to submit action plans

The Sunyani Municipal Road Safety Committee of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has directed transport unions and organisations in the Municipality to prepare and submit their annual road safety plans.

At its first meeting of the year in Sunyani on Thursday, the Committee gave the unions a one-week ultimatum, which expires on January 24, to submit their workable action plans that would help minimize road crashes.

Mr. Agyabeng Mensah Abrampa, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of the NRSC and Chair of the Committee, said the directive was to ensure that the transport unions were actively engaged in road safety programmes.

He said the Regional Office of the NRSC, in collaboration with other key stakeholders, would monitor and ensure that the unions complied and worked to achieve goals set for their plans.

Mr. Abrampa said that his outfit would from this year compile a league table on road accidents in the Region and would list transport unions that would record highest number of crashes.

He said if this was done, the Commission would be able to track the organizations and unions as well as drivers, identify and tackle other possible causes of road accidents.

Mr. Abrampa said the Region recorded 97 pedestrian knocked downs in the second and fourth quarters of 2014, and reported cases of road crashes for the year stood at 938 that led to about 383 deaths and 1,318 injuries.

He said the Commission would step up road safety education and would focus on the need for passengers to demand safety and other precautions when they board vehicles.

Mr. Abrampa appealed to transport unions, organizations and other corporate bodies to support the Commission to implement its programmes and activities for the year.