Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, is demanding stricter measures on the Nsawam Total filling station intersection, the Nsawam-Kumasi stretch and the Mobil Junction intersection to disallow trailer trucks from plying those sections.
According to him, he had cause to write to the relevant authorities last year for an assessment and installation of traffic lights at those vantage points but is yet to receive a response.
He warned the state cannot continue to wait for tragedies to occur on the roads before doing the needful.
Mr. Annoh-Dompreh made the call in a statement he read on the floor of Parliament Tuesday on the gory accident that happened at Nsawam, which has been dubbed ‘Black Monday at Nsawam.’
A total of five people lost their lives; four were on the spot while the fifth victim died shortly after arriving at the New Government Hospital.
Many others suffered various degrees of injuries with many more narrowly escaping direct harm.
According to Mr. Annoh-Dompreh, words could not describe the sight when he visited the scene of the accident and witnessed the cries of the people.
The cries, he said, were not just cries of pain due to their loss but also acute calls for increased road safety and calls for greater expectation from road users to exercise caution in the use of the roads.
“Mr. Speaker, though the location of this accident is not the most common one in news headlines, frequent users of the road cannot deny the fact that it is one of the intersections that have a questionable status in terms of safety.”
“The very junction is typically chaotic since no traffic lights are present to control the flow of vehicles. This is simply unsafe and unacceptable. It is regretful that an accident takes place before any substantial action is usually taken,” he stated.
He averred that Members will not be justified in their roles if they fail to use the positions given them by Ghanaians to upgrade the calls for necessary road safety measures like traffic lights at places required.
He cautioned that road accidents should ultimately not be attributable to a failure to provide the necessary amenities where they are needed.
Contributing to the statement, Member of Parliament for Ellembele, Emmanuel Armh Kofi-Buah, called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to the accident to ensure corrective steps are taken to prevent accidents.
Such probe, he said, should not be limited to the Nsawam but must cover the entire country to curb the frequent reports of gory accidents on our roads.
Member for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhiyini, lamented the number of people that die from accidents in the country and stress this should not be allowed to continue.
He averred that though accidents may be part of nature, some can be prevented if certain safety measures are taken into consideration.
He urged the House to, beyond the statements, institute probes into these accidents to proffer solutions and halt the loss of productive lives.
Mr. Kwame Agbodza, member for Adaklu, in his contribution observed that most road accidents are due to the failure of vehicle owners to observe the proper periodic maintenance.
This, he said, is one of the reasons why vehicles experience failures with their breaks and other parts, especially when drivers enjoy driving far above the speed limits.
He averred that if all road users will adhere to all road traffic regulations, the carnage on roads will be reduced significantly.
Many other members contributed to the statement and appealed to the government to put in the right interventions to ensure accidents are reduced to the barest minimum.
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