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Road crashes kill 963 persons for first half of 2014



A total of 963 persons lost their lives in road crashes in the first half of 2014 countrywide.

This represents a reduction of 7 per cent of the 1,032 persons who were killed within the same period in 2013.

Mrs. Dzifa Ativor, Minister of Transport disclosed at a mid-year review of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) in Ho.

She said though the number of crashes increased from 6,839 in 2013 to 6,984 in 2014, for the same period; the Commission did well in bringing down the number of fatalities and injuries, which were reduced to 6.69 and 2.26 per cent respectively.

Mrs. Ativor commended the Commission and tasked it to sustain the trend in the reductions.

The review is on the theme, “Strategizing towards achieving our 2014 road safety targets,” she stated.

Mrs. Ativor asked the Commission to go beyond the creation of road safety awareness and collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure the enforcement of road safety rules and regulations.

She said feedback from the public indicated that the National Passenger Empowerment Campaign aimed at encouraging passengers to take “active interest” in road safety was yielding results and urged the Commission to “work hard with a renewed sense of urgency” to meet targets for 2014 and the National Road Safety Strategy III.

Mrs. Ativor intimated that by September 1, this year, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) would enforce Regulation 119 and 120 of the Road Traffic Regulations, LI 2180, which required that all commercial buses were fitted with seat belts.

Mrs. May Obiri-Yeboah, Executive Director, NRSC, said the mid-year review was an opportunity to reflect and share experiences for road safety improvement.

She said the review would guide the Commission to be “more proactive” in its operations and “employ conventional approaches that are time tested and proven to be cost effective, practical and result oriented.”

Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso, Volta Regional Minister, in a speech read on her behalf said road safety was a shared responsibility and urged the media to use their platform to educate the public on road safety.

She commended the National Road Safety Commission office in the Region for creating a “Road Safety Desk” at the Ho main lorry station and was hopeful the initiative would help address road safety issues in the region.

Mr. Peterkin Gyinae, Volta Regional Police Commander said police in the Region were ready to partner NRSC to reduce road crashes to the “barest minimum”.

The strategies from the review meeting are expected to help re-position the Commission to reduce road crashes in the country.

Credit: GNA

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