About 740 persons lost their lives throughout the country, with some 4950 persons sustaining various degrees of injury.
Following the alarming figures, the Police Administration is taking rigorous measures, including murder charges against defaulting drivers, to curtail the spate of the carnage on the roads.
Drivers who drive recklessly on the road would be seriously dealt with since most of the accidents are caused by human errors.
By the end of May 2011, a total of 1177 accidents had taken place, with 906 involving commercial vehicles, 712, private cars and 129, motorbikes.
A number of 145 was fatal, 310, serious and 722, minor incidents. In all, 168 were knocked down while 183 were killed, with 1111 sustaining injuries.
Under the same period in 2010, 1177 commercial vehicles were involved in motor accidents, and 1629, private and motorbikes. In the same year, 143 were fatal, 332, serious, 702, minor and 141, pedestrians knocked down.
Two hundred and eighteen persons were killed, with 1069 injured.
The police are seeking a concerted effort, both on the part of the public and its personnel, to bring the thorny issue under control.
Police personnel who stand aloof and watch rickety vehicles pass through the various checkpoints and barriers without taking necessary action against drivers of such vehicles will have themselves to blame as their punishment includes outright dismissal.
DCOP Kudalor observed that the past two weeks alone have claimed 42 lives in motor accidents along the Kintampo-Techiman, Sunyani-Brerekum and the Sunyani-Kumasi roads.
The drivers’ unions have been charged to be consistent with the checking of log books.
The police boss observed that the log books gave information about the mileage a driver had covered within a specific time, which could help the police to determine whether or not a driver had been over-speeding.
Plans are also underway to begin adjustment of accelerators so that drivers cannot drive beyond certain speed limits.
These, among other things, will serve as checks or control measures to curb the incidence.
In addition, motorized patrol teams would be checking for drivers who drive under the influence of alcohol, driving without the necessary documentation such as driver’s license, insurance and roadworthy certificates, log books, advance warning triangles, spare tyres, first aid boxes and visibility and vehicle conspicuousness.
He said union executives looking on unperturbed while people operated drinking spots or sold alcoholic beverages at the various lorry stations was not good.
DCOP Kudalor said such actions or inactions did not augur well for the entire nation as modern day policing was a shared responsibility.
He pleaded with the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the MTTU, and National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) taskforce to carryout regular checks and enforce strictly, the standards on drivers and vehicles, as regards unlicensed and under age drivers and defective vehicles.
The MTTU will also be provided with enough motorbikes so that personnel can chase and arrest defaulting motorbike and bicycle riders who usually flout the law. Â Â Continued…Â Â Â
See the original post here: