EASTERN Region, the third most populous political entity after the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions, boasts of some of the finest roads in the country.
As expected, the region also has a large fleet of vehicles plying the 1,453 kilometres of trunk and 3,150 kilometres of feeder roads, some of which could not be said to be among the best.
Some of the roads which have been rehabilitated to meet the required standard, include the Ayi Mensa-Mamfe stretch of the Adenta-Mamfe road and the portion of the Accra-Kumasi highway that passes through the region.
The periodic reconditioning of most of the feeder roads in the region has also put them in good shape and enhanced transportation and made travelling safe and comfortable.
However, there are some portions of the roads with dangerous curves, especially places such as Nyamebekyere and Amamprobi underneath the Akuapem Scarp on the Adawso-Koforidua road, the Suhum Roundabout and almost the whole stretch of the Suhum-Asamankese road, which have not been rehabilitated for sometime now. Those portions are dangerous for vehicular traffic.
Apart from the dangerous nature of such curves and roads, which had led to a number of motor accidents, other factors such as human error, mechanical faults, drunkenness and fatigue on the part of drivers, as well as overloading of vehicles with some passengers even sitting on top of the vehicles, have compounded the situation.
Those problems make the accident rate in the region one of the highest in the country.
For instance, between January and June 2007, the region recorded 596 motor accidents involving 764 vehicles, which claimed the lives of 125 people.
Between January and June, this year, 685 motor accidents involving 783 vehicles of which 137 people perished were recorded in the region.
A large number of passengers, operators of the vehicles, as well as pedestrians, also sustained various degrees of injury, with some of them maimed for life while property worth thousands of Ghana cedis were also destroyed.
Such a startling revelation has compelled the regional branches of the National Road Safety Commission, the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Regional Co-ordinating Council to work in concert to reverse the trend.
For instance, regional branch of the Road Safety Commission under the supervision of Mr Stephen Anokye, has put in place measures to minimise the high rate of the motor accidents.
Some of the measures include an outreach programme whereby periodic durbars are held at lorry parks. So far the main towns such as Koforidua, Asesewa, Oda, Begoro, Asamankese, Kade and Anyinam have been covered.
Apart from that, the commission has been periodically organising radio programmes on the issue on the local FM radio stations in the region, as well as involving traditional rulers such as the Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre Oti Boateng, all of which are contributing significantly to make our roads accident-free.
Mr Anokye said, “We are going all out to make travelling on our roads safe in the region and our methods have won the confidence and support of the Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, who even created a platform for us at the recently organised People’s Assemblies to educate the public on road safety.”
“The personal commitment of the regional minister to ensure road safety has helped a lot and judging by the way the educational programme is going, an awareness on road safety is being created,” Mr Anokye stressed.
The MTTU and the DVLA, the two other important stakeholders as expected, are also playing their required roles with vigorous checks on both drivers and the vehicles to ensure that the proper thing is done.
The MTTU under its acting Regional Commander, Assistant Superintendent A. Bansah, has put his men on the road both day and night as directed by the Police Headquarters, to impound faulty vehicles and arrest drivers who drive under the influence of alcohol, for prosecution at the law courts.
“My outfit is going all out and the officers are always on the ground with equipment, such as alcohol censors to check drunk drivers, as well as a traffic safety radar, to track down vehicles which speed, so that they conform to the approved speed limits of between 50 and 70 kilometres per hour for big trucks and 50-80 for saloon cars on the highways while those plying within the towns and municipalities should not go beyond 30 kilometres,” ASP Bansah stated.
“The officers also ensure that the lighting system of vehicles conforms to road safety regulations and a typical example is those with defective head lights, which are instantly impounded until the proper thing is done.
“Documents of drivers and vehicles are also thoroughly examined to apprehend car thieves or ensure that the drivers have the permission from the owners of the vehicles to drive such vehicles,” ASP Bansah stated.
Although ASP Bansah’s men are making inroads in addressing the issue, they are, however, confronted with problems, notably the inability of some drivers to give out their licences for inspection with the explanation that their car owners or employers have taken custody of the licences.
The situation makes it possible for drivers to operate with the wrong licences while others, who are not licensed to drive, manage to be at the steering wheel at the peril of passengers and other road users.
To solve such a problem, ASP Bansah suggested that under no circumstance should employers, especially public organisations, take custody of their drivers’ licences, since the law required drivers to keep their licences with them while they are behind the steering wheel.
In complementing the efforts of the MTTU and the Road Safety Commission to make travelling on the roads safe, the regional office of the DVLA has been thoroughly scrutinising driving licence applicants through theoretical and practical examinations.
Before the examinations are conducted, prospective applicants after submitting their applications, are provided with textbooks some of which are “Save Driving”, “Drivers’ Companion”, Pass Your Driving Theory” as well as the “Highway Code”, for study for at least three months.
According to the Regional Officer of VELD, Mr Vincent Fiati, those who come out with flying colours then undergo eye tests before those with good eyesight are taken to the roads for practical examinations.
Mr Fiati said apart from examining the applicants, his outfit also conducted unexpected checks on the roads to prohibit faulty vehicles from operating.
Qualified drivers, he further stated, were also taken through outreach programmes on road safety.
“Most of the time, I personally take charge of the examinations to ensure that the right people are given driving licences to take passengers safely to their homes or workplaces but not to unqualified ones who will send commuters to their graves,” Mr Fiati stated.
It is hoped all the efforts being put in by the three major players on road safety coupled with the fast rate at which the highways and feeder roads are being rehabilitated for easy driving, would reduce accidents to the barest minimum in the region in the near future.
This would not only make travelling comfortable for commuters, but also accelerate the development of the region.
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