The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in Ghana is stepping up efforts to address the increasing number of road crashes and deaths. The authority has called on the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to arrest and prosecute offenders of road traffic regulations. This move aims to ensure safety on the country's roads. According to the NRSA, the time has come for strict enforcement of the law.
The Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, made the call at the launch of the Safe Crossing, Safe Lives pedestrian safety campaign in Madina, Greater Accra Region. The campaign aims to promote safe pedestrian behavior, encourage proper use of footbridges, and reduce pedestrian-related road crashes and fatalities. The initiative targets high-risk locations in the region, including Adentan, Madina, Lapaz, and Weija.
Mr. Amaliba emphasized that pedestrians who refuse to use footbridges must be prosecuted. He stressed that footbridges are not for decorative purposes but for pedestrians to use and stay safe. According to the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I 2180), pedestrians who fail to use footbridges where provided commit an offense. The regulation states that such offenders can face a fine of up to five penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than seven days or both.
The NRSA's call for prosecution comes after a series of publications by the Daily Graphic highlighting the increasing encroachment on road pavements and infrastructure by petty traders and hawkers. This encroachment has become a major road safety concern, resulting in pedestrian knockdowns, which account for 33% of deaths from reported road crashes. Statistics from the NRSA show that over the past 35 years, 63,599 persons have died from road crashes, with about 20,988 deaths resulting from pedestrian knockdowns.
The Safe Crossing, Safe Lives campaign is an initiative of the Greater Accra Regional NRSA. It aims to work with the police MTTD and metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) to enforce compliance with the use of footbridges and clear traders from pedestrian walkways. The campaign seeks to address the issue of pedestrian knockdowns and promote road safety. The NRSA is working with stakeholders to address the carnage on the country's roads.
Dr. Daniel Asare, an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician at National Ambulance Services (NAS), emphasized the importance of stakeholders working together to prevent pedestrian knockdowns and other forms of road crashes. He noted that road crashes have dire economic implications for the country and impact negatively on the emergency response system. Dr. Asare highlighted that prevention is better than cure and that using footbridges is safer than relying on ambulances.
The NRSA and its stakeholders are urging pedestrians to use footbridges and designated crossing facilities to stay safe. The authority is working to promote road safety and reduce the number of road crashes and fatalities. By enforcing the law and promoting safe pedestrian behavior, the NRSA aims to make Ghana's roads safer for everyone.
Key points
- The NRSA is calling for the prosecution of pedestrians who refuse to use footbridges.
- The Safe Crossing, Safe Lives campaign aims to promote safe pedestrian behavior and reduce pedestrian-related road crashes and fatalities.
- Pedestrian knockdowns account for 33% of deaths from reported road crashes in Ghana.
