The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), the Greater Accra Regional Office, has embarked on an In-Traffic sensitisation exercise for road users, aimed at reducing crashes and deaths during the Easter festivities.
The exercise, which was executed at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, was to educate drivers, riders, passengers and pedestrians on road safety measures as part of the “Stop Speeding: Stay Alive”, campaign, which was launched weeks ago.
The NRSA is mandated by Act 2019 (Act 993) to reduce road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths by measures, including the issuance of cautions, notices and directives to improve the quality of transport service and also correct irregularities in transport operations.
The NRSA Greater Accra Regional Office recorded 538 deaths from January to December, 2022, and 485 deaths in the same period in 2023, representing 9.85 per cent .
It also recorded 1,173 pedestrian knockdowns from January to December 2022 and 1,076 in the same period in 2023, representing 8.27 per cent.
Mr Felix Owusu, Planning Manager, Greater Accra Regional Office, said though there were few reductions in crashes, injuries and deaths from 2022 to 2023, the declines were not significant, hence the efforts to intensify education to record more successes, saying “ Our key message to drivers and riders is to slow down, respect speed limits and stay alive.”
The Planning Manager said some drivers had no knowledge about road traffic regulations, reason for some avoidable accidents on the roads.
He said: “We realised that most drivers and riders do not understand the road signs and line markings, so we are strategically positioned in such a way that when they get here, we explain to them the meaning of the roads, line markings and traffic light signals and their meanings as well as educating them to stay within the posted speed limits on the roads.”
Passengers were also encouraged to speak up in the case of reckless driving and flouting of traffic regulations.
Mr Owusu said passengers had the right to speak up if drivers misbehaved while driving, adding that playing the advocacy role would help to prevent crashes and fatalities.
“As passengers, we also have a responsibility to play, once we are in the car, we do not have to sit unconcerned, whatever the driver is doing wrong , you have every right to speak against it, so if a driver is over speading or doing a wrongful overtaking, you have every right to speak against it,” he said.
He urged passengers to be bold and report to the nearest Police posts when they encountered incidents of recklessness or call the NRSA Toll free line on 194 to report cases, giving the car model, registration and car number.
GNA