The Minister of Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has urged passengers onboard a vehicle not to entertain any bad driving whiles on the road but rather, speak up against such driver misbehavior in order to save lives and property.
He also cautioned passengers to be of good behavior by refraining from pushing drivers to misbehave on the road, especially, by using abusive foul language on them.
On the part of drivers, the Minister admonished them to be disciplined whiles on the road and respect the views of their passengers.
Respect for each other, he noted, will contribute a great deal towards ensuring safety on the road.
“As a driver, be patient, obey speed limits, don’t drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs, don’t drive tired, don’t overtake wrongly and respect other road users. As a passenger, speak up against driver misbehavior, don’t push drivers to misbehave on the roads and don’t use abusive language. I believe if we all respect the rules of the road and be each other’s keeper, we would get to our destinations safely”, he noted.
Hon. Ofori Asiamah made these observations at the commissioning of a new DVLA Office at Kunka, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region on Friday, February 4, 2022. The Obuasi office brings to two, new DVLA District Offices that have been commissioned in 2022, with the first being in the Volta Region.
He said government will continue to pursue reforms that will bring to a halt, carnage on the roads, stressing that ongoing efforts in that regard include a process to review the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683) and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, L.I. 2180 to keep up with the changing trends in the road transport industry and also address some implementation lapses.
Further to that, he has directed the DVLA and the National Road Safety Authority to work closely with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service in the automation of traffic enforcement.
That notwithstanding, Hon. Ofori Asiamah noted that is also important that the DVLA collaborates more closely with the National Road Safety Authority and the MTTD to intensify enforcement activities and scale-up road safety education and awareness programs.
“For us to achieve safety on our roads, it requires all actors, regulators, enforcement agencies, service providers, drivers and pedestrians alike to play their respective roles”, he underscored.
Commenting on the new Obuasi DVLA Office, the Transport Minister said the edifice is yet another success story which demonstrates the commitment of the DVLA to deliver excellent services to the general public in a more conducive environment.
“This marks the beginning of a new era of modernization of all DVLA Regional Offices”, he said, urging the people to take advantage of the new edifice and its related services to create job opportunities, especially, for the youth.
According to him, the DVLA has over the past few years made remarkable improvements in its service delivery. “From an institution with low penetration of ICT, to one that is currently noted for its drastic digital transformation. Customers no longer have to endure long queues and delays but one of quick service turnaround time and improved customer experience”, he explained.
He encouraged the DVLA to explore cashless payment systems in order to actualize the full benefits of the digital transformation.