A leading Advocacy and Consumer Protection organization, CUTS International has called on all stakeholders in road safety to intensify advocacy and sensitize the general public as one of the ways to reduce the surge in road accidents in the country.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of a CSOs platform on Road Safety, the West African Regional Director of CUTS International, Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako noted that a strong road safety policy framework sustained public advocacy and awareness campaigns and effective sensitization as well as enforcement of road regulations and laws by all stakeholders will reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities.
Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako explained that currently, road crashes are killing and injuring more Ghanaians than diseases already described as health hazards. Hence, the government should declare road safety as a public health hazard to enable Parliament to approve more funding for road safety interventions.
This, according to him, should be part of the measures to curb the menace on the roads. “COVID-19 has so far killed 1,459 people in the country while road crashes had been responsible for the death of 1,443 persons between January and July this year” he added.
Mr Adomako further argued that the move would empower law enforcement agencies to diligently carry out more road traffic enforcement. He said the numerous fatal road accidents in the country were a result of poor road engineering, absence of street lights, behavioural risk driving including texting or receiving a call while driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
On his path, the Communication and Advocacy lead for CUTS International, Mr Shadrack Nii Yarboi Yartey said available statistics indicated that drunk driving and over-speeding were the leading causes of road accidents in the country.
He, therefore, charged the road safety platform to collaborate with the relevant authorities to intensify advocacy on drunk driving and over-speeding.
Source: norvanreports.com