IN the past few days, some roads in the country have been rocked by motor accidents which have claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
The spate of road accidents gets even more worrying when it becomes obvious that some of the rather gory accidents could have been prevented by observing simple road traffic regulations.
Ghana’s road safety record is gradually attaining legendary status for the wrong reasons; increasingly, road accident is becoming a major cause of death in the country and that is, indeed, very alarming.
According to data from the National Road Safety Commission, between 2000 and 2007, Ghana recorded 91,562 vehicle crashes that claimed 14,489 lives — an average of 1,811 deaths a year.
Apart from deaths related to road accidents, reports indicate that doctors are devoting more attention to road accidents at the expense of other areas of medical care.
Not surprisingly, a report by IRIN, a humanitarian news and analysis project by the UN Office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs, confirmed that road crash casualties were taking so much time of health workers in the country, as well as the scarce resources in the country’s hospitals.
The economic price that is paid is also significant as statistics indicate that the country loses 1.6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product every year through road accidents.
Going by the statistics and media reports, there is overwhelming evidence that road accidents have become a serious threat that must be addressed in a very comprehensive manner.
In addressing the issue, it is very important to focus on the major causes of road accidents, which, according to the National Road Safety Commission, are attributable to human errors more than anything else.
Poor vision, speeding, inexperience, wrong overtaking, drink driving, loss of concentration through the use of mobile phones, mechanical failure and poor lightening, have all been identified as other causes of road accidents in the country.
While there has always been an emphasis on the need to intensify road safety education campaigns, the institution of strong enforcement systems must also be pursued vigorously.
It is well known that one of the key enforcement institutions, the Police Service, has not operated at an optimal level as a result of some daunting challenges the service has faced over the years.
Aside from the usually cited issue of resource constraint, poorly motivated personnel of the service are sometimes at the mercy of a corrupt-prone system and offending motorists.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the spate of road accidents in the country is a hydra-headed problem that requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice from all the stakeholders, including the police and the judiciary.
We believe that although the police have some operational challenges, they can do more to address the carnage on our roads. It is also important to detail more traffic cops on our roads with the right equipment to monitor the activities of motorists on our roads and prevent avoidable motor accidents.
Sometimes, one cannot help but wonder how some very rickety cars plying roads in the country passed their roadworthiness tests. Definitely, this and other issues related to driver and vehicle licensing also need to be addressed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
We also urge the various agencies responsible for ensuring that our roads are well lit in the night to do so. The country cannot afford to lose any more lives through road accidents and urgent action is required to address this canker.
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