Sgt. Richard Timinka of the Tema Regional MTTD Command
Motorcycles killed 182 people through road accidents between January and June in the Tema Regional enclave making it an average of 30 people monthly; the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD), Ghana Police Service has revealed.
The statistics indicate that in the first quarter, motorcycles which included tricycles and bicycles killed 99 people; and in the second quarter killed 83 persons.
Sergeant Richard Timinka, stated on behalf of the Tema Regional MTTD Commander, Chief Superintendent of Police, William Asante at the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office and MTTD road safety campaign platform.
The GNA-Tema and MTTD Road Safety Project seeks to create consistent and systematic weekly awareness advocacy on the need to be cautious on the road, educate all road users of their respective responsibilities, and sensitize drivers on road safety regulations, rules and laws.
Sgt. Timinka explained that considering the number of people who sat on motorcycles, the rate of fatality was too high and called for strict observance of the road traffic regulations by all road user.
He lamented that there had been a rise in road crashes in the Tema Region this year, saying that most of the accidents were preventable and urged road users to abide by the tenets of the Road Acts, Highway Code and Road Traffic Regulations.
Sgt. Timinka also expressed concern about the rate of lynching of drivers who survived accidents especially at the countryside, stressing that to a large extent it accounted for the hit and run situations.
He revealed that most drivers who knocked down pedestrians left the scene of the accidents because they feared for their lives, as residents sometimes mobilizes the youth to attack the driver.
Sgt. Timinka said drivers who knocked down pedestrians instead of picking up the injured to the nearest hospital for medical attention most often run-away for fear of their lives, in such a situation the victim may lose his or her life.
He said the feeling that the driver had caused a life to be lost necessitating their action of lynching and meting out instant justice on the driver, “pedestrian knock-down may not be the fault of the driver alone, so we need to support the victim to the nearest hospital, instead of exerting our energy on the driver.
“If you were in a situation whereby you mistakenly knocked down someone or caused an accident, would you expect to be lynched? In critical condition after a knock-down would you expect your people to attend to you or lynched the driver? he quizzed.
Sgt. Timinka therefore appealed to Ghanaians not to be in a hurry to lynch a driver even if accident occurred as a result of negligence on the part of the driver or other circumstances, investigations would reveal.
“I take this opportunity to appeal to Ghanaians that if a driver knocks down a pedestrian they should not attempt to lynch the driver, but leave investigations to the police to handle,” he said.
He encouraged the media to take an interest in such cases by visiting the police station to find out the outcome of investigations since a lot of people have been jailed, some have been fined and the licenses of others have been revoked.