POLICE IN KUMASI REMOVE FOR LIGHTS (PAGE 29)

As part of the measures to reduce the spate of road traffic injuries and death, as well as the destruction of property during road traffic accidents, the Kumasi Central Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has started removing fog lights from both private and commercial vehicles that operate within the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
According to Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the Ashanti Regional MTTU Commander, the exercise, which started barely a week ago, has seen the removal of many fog lights from a number of vehicles, including private cars.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the exercise, the MTTU commander noted that investigations had revealed that motorists misused fog lights, especially in the night.
He said drivers used both headlights and the fog lights at night "completely blinding the sights of oncoming vehicles, leading to fatal accidents, which destroys lives and property".
He said as the December general electioneering campaigns geared up, more vehicles would be on the roads, especially at night "so the police would have to be vigilant to ensure safety for motorists".
Mr Sarfo Peprah pointed out that it was time drivers adhered strictly to road traffic regulations to ensure sanity on the roads to make travelling more enjoyable.
He said so far the police are educating motorists on the need to use only their headlights, but as time went on, those who continued to use fog lights would be arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Sarfo Peprah said the exercise also coincided with the checking of speeding, overloading and other traffic offences, such as the use of bathroom sandals to drive.
He said 15 vehicles which drove above the 50-kilometre speed limit within residential areas were arrested, explaining that those who were arrested were driving between 67 and 94 kilometres an hour, in residential areas, which was strictly against road traffic regulations.
He gave the assurance that those who were arrested would be arraigned as soon as investigations were completed to deter other reckless drivers to commit similar offences.
He said in the course of the exercise, many bathroom sandals were seized from drivers, indicating that they were ignorant of the fact that it was against road traffic regulations to use such sandals to drive.
He explained that asphalted roads become very slippery when it drizzled "so using bathroom sandals to drive worsens the situation in case of emergency, and this sometimes causes fatal accidents".
He said the need for drivers to change worn-out tyres was also key to the reduction of road traffic accidents, and therefore advised drivers to change their tyres periodically to reduce the spate of accidents in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.