The 5th National Road Safety Awards (NRSA) was held in Accra over the weekend to honor some deserving transport operators, media houses and journalists for their role in promoting road safety.

The awards scheme was instituted in 2010 as an initiative of the Ministry of Transport and the National Road Safety Commission to encourage best road safety practices, particularly control systems among commercial transport operators.

Speaking at the function, Deputy Minister of Transport, Hon. Joyce Bawah Mogtari who represented the President, John Dramani Mahama said the role of stakeholders especially contributions of transport organization must be monitored and rewarded.

President Mahama praised the implementation of the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) III, the national blue print with a target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by the year 2020.

The President said it was important to encourage the media to demand and deliver reduction in all the road safety indices on a year on year basis.
He admonished all to embrace best road safety practices, adding that road safety affects everybody and everyone remains vulnerable.

However road crashes are avoidable if we can embrace some positive road user behavior and adopt global best road safety practices such as reducing speeds, avoiding fatigue driving, drink driving, wearing seat belts, crash helmets among others so that we can arrive at our various destinations alive, he added.

President Mahama said as the nation prepares for the 2016 electioneering year, political parties must also incorporate and mainstream best road safety practices and policies in their transport operational issues to prevent avoidable deaths.

The President indicated that government considers the idea to reward the operators and the media as worthwhile and a catalyst to improve road safety standards while increasing the demand for accountability for road safety actions by the media.

President Mahama praised the media for their interest in improving the quest for accountability and making road safety a priority concern for their time and resources.

He said road traffic crashes continue to deny us of resources that can positively influence the Better Ghana Agenda. He said between January and October this year, 9,045 road traffic crashes were recorded involving 14,118 vehicles resulting in 1,379 deaths and 7,770 injuries.

He said the situation however reflects a reduction of 18.3% and 17.78% of road traffic crashes and vehicles involved respectively compared to the previous year. “Similarly, there were reductions of 13.92% and 19.47% deaths & injuries respectively over the same period, he noted.

The Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, Ing. Mrs. May Obiri-Yeboah said the awards among other measures will help to ensure improvement in road safety management practices, safer vehicles among others.

She commended the contribution of stakeholders and sponsors, adding, we all have to renew our passion and commitment towards the implementation of our action plans.

Mrs. May Obiri-Yeboah said there is an urgent need to scale up efforts in order that goals of the national road safety strategy can be met.

The Best safety-oriented commercial passenger transport organization went to Metro Mass Transit Ltd. Intercity STC and PROTOA won first runner up and second runner up respectively.

The 2015 safety oriented haulage transport organization (liquid category) went to S.O Frimpong Transport, first runner up J.K Ahiadome Transport with J.K Horgle Transport winning second runner up.

The 2015 safety oriented haulage transport organization (solid category) went to S.O Frimpong Transport, with Global haulage company Ltd as runner up.

The 2015 safety oriented Commercial Vehicle Driver was won by Luri Musah of Metro Mass Transit Ltd. Henry Nartey Doku and Osafo Bediako both of Intercity STC won the first and second runners up.

The media category was won by Ebenezer Ayeh (UTV), Nelson Nyador (Diamond FM) and Dzifa Emma Tetteh (Ghanaian Times).

The Youth Ambassador for Road Safety 2015 was won by Mr. Asamoah Boateng of Kings Radio, Konongo.