ACCIDENTS have been increasing throughout the country since 2007, claiming at least six thousand lives and causing injury to almost 40,000 people, the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service has said.
From 2007 to 2010, a total of 6,213 lives had been lost while 39,797 others had sustained various degrees of injury in motor accidents.
According to records compiled by the unit, 1,760 people died while 11, 147 people were injured in 12,981 motor accidents involving 18,589 vehicles in 2010.
In 2009, 12,565 accidents involving 17,409 vehicles were recorded claiming 1,587 lives and causing injuries to 9,767 people.
Whereas 1,520 deaths and 7,433 injuries were recorded in 2008, 1,346 deaths and 11,450 injuries were registered in 2007.
As many as 71,102 vehicles were damaged in accidents from 2007 to 2010, according to the statistics.
Commenting on the spate of accidents in the country and its implications on socio-economic development, the Commanding Officer of the MTTU, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Angwubutoge Awuni, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that his outfit would intensify education on safety measures for all road users as a way of reducing the carnage.
He said the MTTU would also collaborate with the executives of the various transport unions to enforce road traffic regulations to ensure that commercial motorists strictly complied with such regulations.
He mentioned regular maintenance of vehicles to ensure that only vehicles which were roadworthy were allowed to load at the various lorry terminals across the country.
He pointed out that adequate maintenance of vehicles would reduce the number of vehicles that usually broke down on major highways to cause accidents.
Mr Awuni said as part of the measures to ensure that sanity prevailed on the roads to make travelling more comfortable and enjoyable, the MTTU would not only arrest motorists who flout road traffic regulations, but would also prosecute them.
“We would not show any mercy to motorists who drive recklessly on the road. We are going to arrest and prosecute drunk drivers, drivers who use rickety vehicles, as well as those who drive recklessly and put the lives of other road users in danger.
We would also arrest and prosecute drivers who abandon their vehicles on the road so they should always maintain their vehicles,” he warned.
Mr Awuni said while the MTTU would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute drivers who drive recklessly on the road, it was important
for passengers to advise drivers to behave and report the recalcitrant ones to any nearest police station for action to be taken against them.
He appealed to the judiciary to support the operations of the MTTU by not only imposing heavy fines on motorists who flout road traffic regulations, but also ban the recalcitrant ones to bring sanity on the roads.
Mr Awuni said it was equally important for the government to adequately resource the MTTU by not only beefing up their number, but also providing the requisite logistics that would enable the personnel to discharge their duty in a more effective and efficient manner.
He explained that by beefing up the number of MTTU personnel, they would be able to expand their operations on the major highways across the country to monitor the operations of motorist and bring them to order.
He said the provision of the needed logistics would also enhance their operations to make their presence of the highways more effective.
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