Regional News of Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Source: GNA

Arrest tricycle riders without license – Committee

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Road Safety Committee has appealed to the police to arrest and prosecute tricycle riders without license, to bring sanity on roads.

The committee noted with regret that a majority of the riders in the Sunyani municipality have no basic knowledge about road traffic regulations and failed to comply with regulations.

Mr Agyabeng Mensah Aborampa, Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission, made the call at a committee meeting in Sunyani on Tuesday.

He expressed concern about unnecessary overtaking and speeding by the riders who sometimes ignored traffic signals because they had no knowledge about traffic indicators.

Mr Aborampa said tricycle operation had become rampant in the Municipality with many of the riders being school dropouts and illiterates.

He said the committee is poised to ensure that road accidents are reduced drastically in the third and last quarter of the year, and would not compromise with all road traffic offenders.

Mr Aborampa said from January to June 2013, the region recorded 302 road accidents, killing 143 people and injuring 477 others. The accidents involved 456 vehicles.

Mr Aborampa said speed ramps needed to be constructed on the Sunyani-Atronie road to reduce pedestrian knocked downs.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Patrick Adusei Sarpong, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Commander, said road crashes and fatalities in the Region were alarming and appealed to all stakeholders to assist in road safety education.