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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