Atittudes

ATTITUDES

Carnage on our roads could be avoided if the driver and pedestrians could observe the necessary road safety regulations. Passengers should be mindful on the roads.

Sometimes drivers do certain things that can be extremely irritating and dangerous. Bad tailgating, poor care discipline, not indicating and undertaking are just a few bad habits that frequently and are very annoying.

Aside from the inconvenience to other road users, this kind of inconsiderate driving is also very dangerous.

Tailgating is probably of the greatest offenses, some drivers are extremely impatient they sit behind their steering flashing their head lights in an effort to move you but of course there is nowhere to go as you are in the process of overtaking and there is no room to pull in on the left. Most drivers of today refuse to observe motor traffic rules and regulations and that are the main causes of accidents on our roads.

Despite the fact that, numerous education on the road safety awareness, some drivers still drive carelessly. They should be cautious on the roads to be alert on road accidents.

Some Nungua market women 

Personnel of the Metro Mass Transport Union (MMTU) are also a factor and if they put up right attitudes on our roads, they will go a long way to helping solving or minimizing the road accidents on our roads.

Police personnel should do all they could to resist corruption and be professional in the discharge of their duties and arrest people who attempt to bribe them when caught on over speeding, overtaking, overload etc.

Hawking on our roads should also be ceased to help have a smooth flow of vehicles on our roads. The primary responsibilities of road worthiness of vehicles are that of the vehicle owner and the user. It is a legal. Most vehicles owners do refuse to do maintenance of  their vehicles them to  extent that we usually drive rickety vehicles on our road. Stakeholders who are responsible to ensure proper road manages on all our roads within regions to curb needless accidents are also failing to heed to their duty.

street hawking at achimota

Reccommendations

RECOMMENDATIONS

Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol should be identified as a major accident contribution factors in the country since that also account for more than 60% development and distribution of road safety publicity and information materials targeted at pedestrians and drivers should be encouraged.

Government should enhance the Link National and Regional accident Data and create awareness of the benefits of the use of seat belts and crash helmets since its human life at stake here.

Road Accidents

THE RATE OF ROAD ACCIDENTS IN GHANA

Roads and public places are constantly used by a cross section of people including motorists’ motorcyclists, pedal cyclists, passengers, pedestrians, physically challenged and cart pushers.

In the course of the usage of the road crises situations arise an account of the road system namely intersections, the conduct and behavior of road users. Road accident in our country Ghana has be a very major challenge in the country.

Road crashes occur as results of many vary factors. Preventing and reduction of road crash and its consequences are achievable through multi-disciplinary and multi-faced approaches.

A road accident at Achimota, Accra

Causes

CAUSES

It is believed that majority of road crashes are caused by human error. Research has shown that driver’s error accounts for over 80% of all fatal and injury crashes in the Irish roads.

Many people die as a consequence of inexperience speeding intoxication through drink or drugs or just plain reckless and tiredness.

Policemen on the search

Overtaking in the night and series of vehicles at a time is also contributing factors in the road accident, and the basic principle in preventing of road crash is see and be seen. A responsible driver should not overtake when he or she cannot see what is ahead.

An accident scene at Nungua

The absence of a functioning traffic light in most of the regions in Ghana continues to pose grave danger to lives of both motorists and pedestrians. It is also believed that offloading and picking more passengers of unapproved loaches, driving without license and insurance, abuse of the trade license plates and obscuring the use of the number plates are factors to road accidents.

Lack of wearing seat belts on every journey, drivers should cultivate the habit of wearing seat belts, including the passengers.

Careless drive at achimota road

Solutions

SOLUTIONS

A survival of achimota road accident

The National Road Safety Commission should conduct investigations into road safety issues and advice the minister on them. They should also develop and maintain a comprehensive database on road safety for information of public. As part of efforts to reduce the accidents in the country, Metro Mass Transport Union (MMTU) should intensify their education drive by organizing workshops for stakeholders on the road.

The police personnel of MMTU should go back to their duty posts on the roads to ensure sanity on them. The police personnel of the unit should resist corruption and be discharge of their duties and arrest people who attempt to bribe them. Heads of implementing agencies of the national safety commission should demonstrate a high sense of commitment and responsible towards road safety issues.

Vehicles engineering comprising a regular inspection for a “Warrant of Fitness” to ensure that the nation components of vehicles are safe.

Improving the design of the design of the vehicle to give ease of vision and control to the driver and so reduce the livelihood of injury in an accident.

Fitting safety equipment such as seat belts should be taken into consideration and enforced.