PUBLIC condemnation of the cause of last Saturday’s fatal accident on the outskirts of Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region again reinforces the directive by President J. A. Kufuor to the police to enforce road traffic regulations in order to stem the carnage on our roads.
From the look of things, road accidents are claiming more lives than any of the killer diseases, although we have no survey data to buttress our viewpoint.
We are stunned by the sheer number of fatalities that are recorded in a single road accident to conclude that the spate of accidents and the concomitant high rate of deaths caused have assumed epidemic proportions. What makes the trend worrying is the fact that many of the accidents are caused by human error.
In the accident involving a 207 Benz bus and a KIA truck at Twimea Nkwanta, near Techiman, it was alleged that a task force of the Forestry Services Division allegedly shot a front tyre of the KIA truck which was carrying sawn timber, making the driver to lose control of the truck, which then collided head on with the bus, resulting in the death of 20 people on the spot.
The irony of the tragedy that confronts us in recent times is that many of the fatal accidents occur on very good roads. The trend, therefore, confirms the general belief that drivers plying deplorable roads tend to be more circumspect and observe road traffic regulations.
Occasionally, and at regular intervals, the police and the National Road Safety Commission organise road safety campaigns to educate motorists and commuters on the need to observe regulations on the road.
Perhaps road safety campaigns should be made part and parcel of the routine exercises that all road users, particularly drivers, must undergo every day before being allowed to sit behind steering wheels. The present practice, whereby the campaigns are vigorous during festive occasions such as Easter and Christmas, is not good enough.
Except for the complaints from a section of drivers that some policemen on motor checks allegedly extort money from drivers, we think that the presence of the police on the roads helps to reduce acts of indiscipline among drivers.
Sometimes our collective failure to call deviants in society to order has led to avoidable calamities, thereby depriving many households of their breadwinners.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks that the only way to stem the carnage on our roads is to review the process of licensing drivers, particularly those who want to drive commercial vehicles.
Road accidents have become a big drain on the national economy in terms of loss of lives, loss of man-hours and expenditure on the treatment of the injured.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, calls on the government to institute an inquiry into the cause of the Techiman accident in order to establish the identity of the members of the timber task force so that they can face the law.
The behaviour of members of timber task forces has become an embarrassment to those who constituted them. Their actions have always led to avoidable deaths. A few months ago, police reinforcement had to be called in to quell mob action at Ofankor when a stray bullet hit one of the dealers in timber products there.
We are faced with many other challenges and the country cannot afford the cost of the incompetence of public officers who are paid by the taxpayer. Heads must roll now to serve as a deterrent to members of timber task forces who have become laws unto themselves.
The DAILY GRAPHIC wishes the injured speedy recovery. To the families of the deceased, we extend our heartfelt condolences.
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