The Eastern Regional Fire Service Commander, ACFO Joshua Nguah, has expressed worry about the recent increase in vehicular accidents recorded in the Eastern Region, even before the end of the first quarter.
About 11 accidents have occurred in some parts of region in the month of February alone, with over 32 casualties and 16 deaths, including the death of the former Member of Parliament for the Akwatia Constituency.
In the early hours on Tuesday, February 28, three persons lost their lives with 9 others injured at Omenako, a town in the Suhum Municipality, when the vehicle they were travelling in ran into a parked articulated truck by the roadside.
Speaking to Citi News, the Eastern Regional Fire Service Commander said “these recent accidents are a major worry for us. I am personally not happy at all about the happenings on our roads. The number of deaths we have recorded so far is very alarming and it’s high time we work assiduously to stop the carnage.”
“Between February 9th to 28th alone, we have recorded more than 11 accidents in the region on the Kpong -Akosombo road, Nkawkaw0Kumasi road, Suhum-Nsawam road, and the suhum kibi Anyinam road where more than 32 casualties were recorded and over 16 on the spot deaths, those who may have lost their lives on admission at the various hospitals are not even included.”
ACFO Nguah blamed some of these accidents to the absence of white markings on the road, which he said makes it difficult for drivers at night, and the failure of heavy trucks to use triangle reflectors to caution other road users.
“What I have noticed is that, the markings on the main Kumasi highway is not visible enough, in some cases there are no markings at all and drivers plying the route face difficulties in staying in their designated lanes, others who drive with their highlights on also impair the sight of the opposite drivers making it difficult for them to see clearly.”
“Secondly, bigger trucks who faces challenges and suffer breakdowns in the course of their journey leave their trucks at the edge of the road without using reflective triangles to warn approaching vehicles. The recent accident which led to the death of the former member of parliament for Akwatia is as a result of somebody’s negligence; it could have easily been avoided if the truck which was parked at the roadside had triangular reflector warning sign displayed,” he said.
Nguah thus called for a collaborative effort from the Police service, the National Road Safety, Ghana Highways Authority, and other stakeholders to reduce the carnage on the roads.
“Going forward, I believe one of the measures we can employ to avert the carnage on our roads is that we should collaborate with all the stakeholders. The Police needs to inform us the fire service; give details on broken down trucks parked on sides of the roads; we have machines we can use to tow these trucks from the roadside to safer places.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
