The Municipal Road Safety Committee under the Tarkwa Nsuaem Assembly has launched a campaign to ensure accident- free yuletide.
From January to date, 136 accident cases had been recorded in the Municipality with 32 lives lost. This shows an increase of 15 deaths as compared to 2017.
Superintendent of Police, Madam Victoria Yamoah, the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) Commander for Tarkwa Nsuaem, who is the Chairperson of the Committee, said this during the launch of the campaign at Nsuta Junction on Tuesday.
Supt. Yamoah added that 40 people sustained serious injuries during the crashes.
She said though the Committee conducted regular spot checks and embarked on road safety education in schools, churches, mosques, on radio and at bus terminals, road crashes kept reoccurring and increasing.
She pointed out that most of the accidents were avoidable and that fatigue, wrongful over-taking, over speeding, vehicles abandoned in the middle of roads, using mobile phones whiles driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol were some of the causes.
“Apart from our usual educational programmes, we have included patching of pot holes, community education and reward packages for drivers and pupils,” she said.
Supt. Yamoah commended the Ghana Manganese Company Limited and members of the Haulage Truck Owners Association for accepting to sponsor the campaign.
She appealed to corporate bodies and philanthropists in the Municipality to assist the Committee to sustain the programme after the Christmas festivities.
Nana Akua Ansaah Cobbinah, the Acting Regional Road Safety Officer, said from January to October this year, the Region recorded 689 cases of road accidents involving 928 vehicles with 97 deaths.
She emphasised that pedestrians knock down was a challenge in the Region.
She urged school proprietors to engage the services of road traffic wardens to direct traffic for pupils during school sessions.
Mr Gilbert Kennedy Asmah, the Municipal Chief Executive for Tarkwa Nsuaem, assured the citizenry that government would do its best to ensure that their roads were motorable.
He called on drivers to be extra careful on the road, especially during the yuletide, to prevent accidents.
