TODAY we dedicate this column to those who lost their lives in the two accidents involving the Intercity STC bus from Takoradi to Accra and the OA bus from Accra to Kumasi.
Eyewitness and visual accounts of the accidents are quite scary and echo the need for proper education on road traffic regulations.
The facts indicate that most road accidents in the country are caused by human error resulting from speeding, wrongful overtaking, drunkenness and the breach of other traffic regulations.
The worry is that despite the frequent carnage on our roads, no concrete steps are taken to stem the tide.
Every year, the National Road Safety Commission and the Ghana Police Service embark on road safety education programmes, particularly during festive occasions such as Easter and Christmas, to draw attention to the dangers resulting from the lack of respect for safety regulations.
Precious lives and breadwinners were lost in yesterday’s accidents which will render many dependants and children destitute.
The sad story is that these accidents involved vehicles which have been known to be safe and comfortable. Although not immune to accidents, commuters were confident of their safety whenever they travelled on those buses.
The accident involving the InterCity STC bus raises many questions about the hitherto reliable and safe fleet of buses operated by the transport company. STC buses, from time immemorial, have been considered to be the safest means of travelling since the demise of the ‘rail romance’ in the late 1970s.
The InterCity STC is the companion of holiday makers and particularly students who travel long distances to and from their schools during re-opening and vacation days of educational institutions.
Therefore, these accidents send the wrong signals to the travelling public that the once “safety net” has also been hit by the accident scare, leaving us with nothing to rely on to escape the indiscipline and carnage on our roads.
That is why the education on road safety must be universal and directed at all road users if we are to avoid the incidents on the dark Thursday which threw the whole nation into a state of mourning.
Everybody has a role to play to clear our roads of the misfits who disregard safety regulations. They do not heed the basic cautions to them not to drive under the influence of alcohol or any other substances, as well as avoid the tendency to drive tired.
The Daily Graphic believes that the country can still count on law-abiding drivers who are prepared to abide by road safety regulations in order to secure the lives of passengers.
The recklessness on our roads is not limited to the highways. Trotro and taxi drivers have no regard for road safety regulations in our cities and towns.
The efforts being made by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to weed out unlettered persons from the driving profession may stem some of the human errors causing fatalities on our roads.
Most of our commercial drivers do not understand road signs because they cannot read and write. For this reason, most drivers are not mindful of road signs, hence they park at unauthorised places, speed and overtake vehicles at dangerous portions on the road.
Our hearts bleed for those who lost their lives in both accidents, as well as those who sustained various degrees of injury. Our condolences go to the bereaved families, and for those on admission, we wish them speedy recovery.
But the blood shed by the innocent passengers should constantly remind us of the dangers on our roads in order to drive with care.
We all have a collective responsibility to help put an end to avoidable accidents on our roads.
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