The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has urged the various political parties and other stakeholders to play critical roles to help reduce road crashes as the country gears up for the general elections.
Mr Zechariah Laari, the Upper East Regional Head of the NRSA, encouraged the political parties to work with the law enforcement and road safety authorities to ensure safety on the road before, during and after the 2024 general elections.
“I encourage all political parties to work closely with law enforcement, road safety authorities, and traffic management bodies to ensure that our activities are well-regulated, and do not lead to dangerous conditions on the roads,” he added.
Mr Laari was speaking to stakeholders in Bolgatanga when the NRSA engaged political parties as part of the Authority’s efforts to promote safety and compliance on the road, to reduce crashes before, during, and after the general elections.
Statistics from the Authority revealed that the number of deaths recorded in the Upper East Region because of road crashes during electioneering years had been reducing since 2000, recording 85, 68, 59, 61 and 51 in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, respectively.
However, the data revealed that the region recorded an increase in the road crashes deaths from 51 deaths in 2016 to 65 deaths in 2020, with motorcyclists and pedestrian knockdown recording the highest of 40 deaths representing 62 per cent and 14 deaths representing 22 per cent, respectively.
Mr Laari expressed worry about the situation and called on the stakeholders and the political parties to see road safety as a collective responsibility and work towards compliance and safety among their supporters.
“Moreover, it is a common observation that we often see campaign vehicles carrying supporters, sometimes in unsafe ways, overloaded vehicles, and people riding on top of vehicles, or hanging from the sides. This poses a grave danger not only to those involved but to everyone on the road.
“I call on all political parties to ensure that vehicles used in campaign activities comply with road safety regulations. No vehicle should be overloaded, and seat belts should be worn by all passengers. A designated person who is well versed in road safety management should be assigned to coordinate all transport arrangements,” he added.
The engagement brought together the various political parties such as the New Patriotic Party, National Democratic Congress, People’s National Convention, and the Convention People’s Party among other stakeholders.
The stakeholders pledged their resolve to work with the law enforcement agencies and advised their members to ensure compliance and safety on the road during the election.
GNA