Road crashes killed 64 people in the Bono Region from January to November, this year, Mr Kwasi Agyenim Boateng, the Bono Regional Head of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has stated.
About 141 people were injured in 120 recorded crashes which involved 182 vehicles, he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani on Thursday.
That notwithstanding, Mr Boateng said general road accidents recorded in the region this year declined as compared to the previous year, and commended drivers, pedestrians and all road users, and asked them to cooperate and help the Authority to bring sanity to the road.
He said a more effective collaboration was still required between all road sector agencies to bring the avoidable road crashes and needless deaths in the country, under the barest minimum.
Mr Boateng indicated the Authority had already launched the Road Safety Campaign in the Region under the theme “Stay Disciplined and be Responsible to Sustain the Gains” and advised particularly commercial drivers to endeavour to observe road signs.
He said the Authority in the region had intensified road safety education on accident-prone highways in the region, saying “our officers have been deployed to sensitize drivers and passengers on road safety.”
Mr Boateng said with the onset of the dry season, the weather would not be favourable for driving, and entreated drivers to always check their lighting systems and tyre pressure before setting off on their journeys.
He advised passengers to remember to wear their seat belts when they board vehicles to protect themselves.
Mrs Abigail Atimpoka Adongo, the Bono Regional Planning Manager of the NRSA, said it was the responsibility of everybody to help control road crashes on the highways and asked travellers and passengers to also check drivers against excessive speeding and wrongful overtaking.
She said driver error and negligence remained the key factors contributing to road crashes in the country and advised drivers to maintain their vehicles regularly.
Mr Gabriel Okyere, Principal Inspectorate Assistant at the Authority commended the media for their support in intensifying road safety education in the region, saying “the support we have received from the media this year is exceptional.”
