Banawen Antwi, the Assistant Planning Manager of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in the Upper East Region, has identified the behaviours of road users and violations of traffic regulations as the leading causes of road accidents in the municipality.
Adding to that, attempts by motorists to jump the traffic when the light is red as well as wrongful entry into intersections are the main causes of road accidents. He also noted that riding through the pedestrian lane and non-compliance with zebra crossings have also contributed to increases in road accidents.
“You could see traffic lights on red; people will try to jump them. Mostly too, when people try to enter intersections or T-junctions, they don’t look and will just jump in. So, most of our crashes do occur there.”
“You see people riding motorbikes through the pedestrian walkway, which is meant for pedestrians. When you get to the zebra crossing in town, most of them do not stop for them to cross. Because the drivers and riders think the road is for them alone. All these causes most of the crashes in town.”
According to Mr. Antwi, since the authority moved to the region in the past two years, they have committed to educating the general public on the need to abide by the traffic regulations. While they try to do their best, he bemoaned the attitude and behaviour of other road users as a major challenge.
“One particular thing we encounter here is the attitude or behaviour of the road users. We are putting on our best, going to churches, schools, in traffic but people don’t want to obey the rules and regulations.”
The Assistant Planning manager made this known during an interview with Mark Smith of A1 Radio on the Day Break Upper East Show.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gerard Awombadek Asagi|Ghana
