By: Rachel Kakraba and Noah Odor
The Legal Resource Centre, LRC, a non-governmental organization, in road safety has organized a day’s sensitization programme for motorcycle riders, popularly known as Okada riders, in Accra, to educate them on new helmet standards and safe speed practices.
The exercise was aimed at improving road safety as well as prepare riders for the enforcement of the updated regulations on protective gear on motorcycle use, as authorities move to strengthen safety measures within the motorcycle transport sector.
Beneficiary riders were taken through the approved specifications for standard crash helmets, requirements on durability, proper fitting, and certification marks for easy identification. They were also educated on the risks associated with the use of substandard helmets and the need to prioritize safety over commercial pressures.
Speaking at the event, Programmes Officer of the LRC, Enock Jengre, said the training was necessary to reduce the growing number of motorcycle-related accidents and fatalities, many of which are linked to the use of substandard helmets and excessive speeding.
He mentioned that the statistics of road crashes for last year was very damaging as almost three thousand souls on the dinner table perished. He was hopeful awareness creation about Ghana’s standardized crash helmet would ensure compliance.
“We met motorcycle riders and the tricycle riders, their unions and their members, to create awareness about some of these things especially as Ghana would soon implement commercialization of okada. We need to let them also know how they can be safety conscious on the road”
Mr. Jengre, indicated that the sensitization forms part of a broader campaign to support safer motorcycle operations as the okada law awaits presidential assent to become fully operational law.
“I was privileged to be part of the national level committee, which put together the standardized crash helmet document, but how many people are aware of it? We need to advocate for people to know”
Adding on “whiles creating awareness, we need to advocate that the government put in place the necessary structures, it could be through public -private partnership arrangement or any other way, so that eventually Ghana would begin to produce the Ghana standards helmet”
The LRC, he assured, will continue engagement with other stakeholders such as importers to ensure imports meet the newly developed standards. He also urged the Ghana Standard Authority to enforce standards at the points of the country’s entry.
An engineer at the Ghana Standards Authority, Kingsley Domena Yeboah, explained that the law of inertia, which states that an object in motion continues at the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an external force is why, during a crash, unrestrained occupants keep moving forward, increasing the risk of injury.
“There’s a science in movement called inertia. When the car is moving at 80 kilometers per hour, you too, you are moving at 80 kilometers per hour. That is why if the person steps on the brake, and something brings the car to a stop, because you are still moving, you lean forward, that is called inertia. So you continue in a state of motion”
He further added “if you are riding a bike, and the bike is moving at, let’s say, some 80 kilometers per hour, and then you hit a stone, and the bike comes to a stop, you don’t automatically come to a stop as well. You continue to fly in the air because of science. So that is why it is important to protect yourself, and the speed you move will determine the level of injury that you will get”
Mr. Yeboah, said crash helmets do more than shield the head but protect the brain, which is one of the body’s most delicate and vital organs, stressing that the use of approved helmets could significantly reduce fatalities and severe injuries on the country’s roads.
“The other thing is that the helmet is protecting not just your head, it’s protecting your brain. The thing about the brain is that it’s a very delicate organ”
For his part Principal Planning Manager, National Road Safety Authority, NRSA, Dennis Yeribu, noted that beyond enforcement, education and awareness are critical in promoting compliance and changing attitudes among riders.
“We are going to ensure that we enhance our education and outreach across traditional media. We are also going on other social media handles like X or YouTube and all those highly frequented by Ghanaians”
He added “we are maintaining our outreaches at various communities where we have night and day community outreaches such as markets, churches, mosques and schools”
Mr. Yeribu, encouraged both riders and drivers to observe road safety regulations, such as reduction in speed, avoiding being distracted on the road, as well as stop the use of drugs while driving.
Some beneficiary riders expressed appreciation to organizers for the training which they said would help them make informed decisions when purchasing helmets and improve their riding practices.
