The Regional Public Relations Officer for the National Road Safety Authority, John Quarshie has said the Upper East Region has shown notable improvements in road safety this year compared to the same period last year.
He highlighted that there has been a significant reduction in road crashes from January to June this year, with recorded cases dropping from 85 to 50. This represents a percentage change of approximately 41.81%.
Additionally, injury cases have decreased by 32.73%, from 86 last year to 57 this year. However, the number of fatalities has remained constant at 35 for both years. He attributed the progress to the public’s adherence to road safety measures and increased involvement from various stakeholders.
He emphasized that road safety is a shared responsibility, requiring cooperation from both the public and authorities to achieve meaningful results.
“This shows that the public is really adhering to what we tell them to do because we always say that road safety is a shared responsibility. If we do our part and the public doesn’t do its part, we won’t get to where we want to be. We believe that the public coming together and stakeholders getting involved has helped maintain the figures compared to last year,” he said.
Mr. Quarshie highlighted a concern regarding election years, noting a trend of increased road crashes during such periods. To address this, he mentioned a planned engagement with political leaders and their research teams at the regional level to improve training for dispatch riders and enhance safety during election campaigns.
“Most of our crash records indicate that during election years, our figures tend to rise. To address this, there is a panel set up to meet all political leaders and their research teams. This has been done at the national level, and we are now going to implement it at the regional level to see how we can train our dispatch riders and caution them as they embark on campaigns and other activities.”
According to Mr. Quarshie, the Regional Road Safety Authority has strengthened collaboration with local assemblies and established nine road safety committees across districts in the region. These committees are part of a nationwide effort to create functional road safety bodies at the district and municipal levels, aiming to address issues before they escalate to the regional level.
He added that while the region has made strides in improving road safety, continued vigilance and public cooperation are essential to sustain and build upon these gains. “If we all adhere to speed limits, I am sure we can reduce some of the crashes we are recording,” he said.
However, he expressed concerns about minor riders, especially during vacations, where there is an increase in the number of motorbikes being used by minors. This raises concerns about a potential rise in accident figures by the end of the month. “We have tried working with the police, assemblies, and schools to address minor riders. But now that they are on vacation, we have noticed that parents have started allowing minors to use their motorbikes, which is another threat. If we are not careful, we might see higher figures by the end of this month.”
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|Gifty Eyram Kudiabor|Bolgatanga|
