The Savannah Regional Coordinating Director, Yaw Adu Asamoah has called on security personnel and the general, especially the youth to be good ambassadors of road safety and instill the spirit of discipline whenever they are plying the road.
He made this call in an address to the public on the occasion of a health walk organized by the National Road Safety Authority, MTTD unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council to sensitize the general public on road signs and road safety regulations.
With participants drawn from the security services, heads of departments, the Christian council, Civil Society Organizations and the general public; Mr. Adu observed that the level of indiscipline among road users in the region was assuming an alarming dimension.
According to him, the lessons in road safety have it that, the safety of the people was what matters the most and not the destination one is traveling to and how fast one gets there hence, the need to take some precautions when using the road.
He expressed gratitude to the participants who took part in the Health and Road Safety Campaign walk and urged the security services and the general public to join forces with the National Road Safety Authority to achieve success in saving lives on the road.
The Regional Planning Manager of the National Road Safety Authority, Eric Fodjour, who spoke on behalf of the Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority explained that the essence of the walk was to sensitize the general public on the need to adhere to road safety precautions when using the road especially, during the festive seasons.
He commended the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council for collaborating to organize the walk, adding that, “for the whole of Ghana, this is the first time the security services is collaborating with the general public to fight the war against indiscipline on our roads”.
Mr. Fodjour expressed delight in the massive turnout and thanked the participants for joining the fight against carnage on our roads, rather than always relying on the Road Safety Authority to wage the campaign.
He reiterated the fact that issues of road safety are a shared and collective responsibility of all stakeholders and a win for all when the fight is successfully fought and conquered.
He cautioned motorcycle riders and drivers in the region to always be in their helmets and seat belts when using the road.
The Regional Planning Manager however disclosed that, in the year 2021, the number of deaths recorded in the first quarter as a result of road accidents in the region was 44, but has drastically reduced to 24 in the first quarter of 2022,a simple indication that if all shoulders are put together in the fight against indiscipline on our roads, the crush statistics will reduce drastically.