The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has appealed to Ghanaians to stop putting all the road accident blame at the doorsteps of Ghanaian drivers.
National Welfare Officer of the Union, Samuel Amoah, while admitting that most drivers fail to follow the road regulations, noted that sometimes the nature of our roads also causes the fatal accidents drivers experience.
Speaking to Samuel Eshun on e.TV Ghana’s ‘Fact Sheet’ show, he stated: “We normally feel very bad when situations like this happen and everybody points fingers at drivers because yes it was the driver driving the vehicle when the accident happened. So, however the situation may be, they will say the driver has caused the accident”.
“But there are so many things that go into it. It is true that most drivers drive recklessly and don’t observe the road regulations. Apart from the actions of the drivers, the nature of the roads account for road accidents”.
Samuel Amoah furthered that the Union is conscious of its responsibility of ensuring that drivers avoid over speeding, drunk driving and other wrong practices that could lead to accidents and as such it has taken the initiative to educate drivers on what to do and what not to do on the roads.
Road accidents in Ghana remain a major public safety issue. From January to October 2020, there were nearly 12,100 road traffic accidents in Ghana which involved over 20,400 vehicles. Moreover, the crashes led to 2,080 fatalities and 12,380 injuries.
Among the major contributing factors to road accidents identified are poor nature of roads, carelessness of road users, faulty vehicles, stress, unskilled drivers, inadequate road signs, among others.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah