Road crashes prevention is a shared responsibility – Amegayibor

The prevention of road crashes is a shared responsibility and all stakeholders must play their respective roles to reduce the carnage, Mr Francis Johnny Amegayibor, a former Board Member of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has said.

He said it was important for all car owners to ensure their cars were serviced frequently to prevent breakdowns that could lead to road accidents.

Mr Amegayibor, also a former General Manager of Sales at Silver Star Auto Limited, said this at the Tema Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) Road Safety Campaign Platform with the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

He expressed concern about the poor car maintenance culture in the country, which he said had contributed to the causes of road accidents in Ghana.

Mr Amegayibor, therefore, called for attitudinal change, regular maintenance of cars, monitoring of brake functioning and fuel leakage among other things to ensure safety on the roads.

He identified overloading as another cause of accidents because each car had its loading capacity and anything above that had direct impact on the tyres.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, the Tema Regional Manager of the GNA, said data from the MTTD indicated that the number of private vehicles involved in road crashes was is on the rise.

He assigned the causes to non-adherence to speed limits, wrongful overtaking and crossing, and use of communication devices while driving or crossing the road.

Mr Ameyibor said the MTTD-GNA Road Safety Campaign Platform was to help make the roads safe, adding; “When we are on the roads, the first line of safety is you, you must put your personal safety into your hands …”

He said the media were important components of the national road safety campaign and part of a broader effort to increase public awareness on road safety rules and regulations.