Mr Kwasi Oppong-Ababio, Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, has appealed to traditional authorities and politicians to allow the police to perform their national duties without any hindrance.

He said politicians, chiefs, queen mothers and opinion leaders as well as people in responsible leadership positions who pleaded on behalf of especially road traffic offenders distracted the police from their work.

Speaking at fourth awards ceremony of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) at Abesim, near Sunyani, Mr Oppong-Ababio said the situation continued to hinder efforts by the police to bring sanity on the road.

The event was organised by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Office of the Commission.

Mr Oppong-Ababio said the alarming rate of road crashes and the huge loss to the nation needed a collective and radical approach from the police and all key stakeholders to help bring the accidents under control.

He said if harsh sentences are imposed on road traffic offenders, drivers would adhere to traffic regulations and sanity would prevail on the road.

Mr Agyabeng Mensah Abrampa, Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of the NRSC, said 186 people died through 503 road crashes in the Region from January to September 2013 as compared to 121 deaths in the previous year.

He said with the onset of the harmarttan, there was the need for the police and other key stakeholders to ensure that drivers adhered to all road safety regulations.

Mr Abrampa said drunk-driving, speeding and human errors were the major contributory factors to road accidents in the Region.

He called for an effective collaboration between the police and the NRSC as well as the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority and transport unions in tackling road accidents.

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Office of the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) was adjudged the best transport union followed by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and O.A Travel and Tours.

Each of the deserving transport unions received a citation, certificate and other road safety valuables.