Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister has decried the increasing spate of motorcycle crashes in the Tamale Metropolis and the resultant deaths, describing them as unfortunate.
He said the situation was disturbing, especially given the fact that the casualties were young people between the ages of 18 and 26.
He was speaking during this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations at the Jubilee Park in Tamale on Monday to mark the end of Ramadan, a 30-day fasting period.
The Minister’s comments were in reaction to figures released by the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), which showed that a total of 89 people lost their lives as a result of motorcycle crashes in the Tamale Metropolis in the year 2021.
The figures showed that out of the 89 persons, who passed away, 73 of them died at the Emergency Unit of the hospital upon arrival while 16 died on admission.
They were between the ages of 18 to 26 years, and all of them died of severe head injuries.
Alhaji Saibu, therefore, appealed to all road users, especially the youth, to be mindful of the road regulations and to abide by all road safety measures.
He emphasized that “Motorists should wear their crash helmets or seat belts while using the roads, especially as we are in the celebration mood. All lives matter and any life lost is a loss to the nation.”
He called on Imams to include in their sermons the indiscipline on the roads as it was a collective effort to instill in motorists the wearing of crash helmets and seat belts when riding and driving respectively.
