The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has expressed worry over the increasing number of road accidents being recorded on Ghanaian roads in recent times.
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Authority, Pearl Ayisi, these numbers would have been exponentially higher if not for their interventions and road safety educational campaigns.
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She believes interventions to reduce road accidents go beyond educational campaigns to a strategic collaboration amongst stakeholders in the transport sector.
Pearl Ayisi made this known in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.
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Addressing statistics on increased road carnage in 2021, Pearl Ayisi noted, “The number of road accidents being recorded is alarming and if the NRSA wasn’t undertaking educational campaigns and its numerous interventions, the numbers would’ve skyrocketed. From UN statistics on Africa, Ghana is number one in promoting all road safety measures on the continent. However, promoting these measures is not enough. Education and announcements alone do not reduce road accidents but a myriad of factors have to be considered, especially the strategic coordination of all stakeholders.”
She noted that cars on the roads increase by 10 percent annually and if the roads are not expanded or improved, road accidents will rise regardless of the efforts of the NRSA. “Policymakers must improve and widen our roads within 5 years to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles. Single lanes should be dualized or expanded. And if roads are made into single lanes, it will complement our efforts and reduce road accidents.”
With indiscipline being a major cause of road accidents, she argues enforcement should be a priority on roads and should support campaigns and standards developed. “Enforcement on our roads is weak as the police do not have people on all the roads and they sometimes compromise the enforcement of road traffic regulations.”
She charged the government to utilize modern-day technology to replace the human element on the road to ensure full respect and enforcement of road safety regulations. “With the technology put in place, the licensing authority can monitor and suspend and refuse to upgrade licenses of drivers who disregard road safety regulations, drastically reducing road indiscipline.”
The NRSA PRO also appealed to the government to fix bad roads in the country and also advised drivers to keep their phones aware when driving, and never to drive tired or under the influence.
Over 1,927 Ghanaians, according to statistics from the Ghana Police Service, have lost their lives to road accidents from January to August 2021.
The deaths recorded on Ghana’s roads are said to exceed lives lost to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic that stands at 1,097 as of September 8, 2021.
