Ho, June 22, GNA - Long distance drivers in Ho on Sunday shared the blame for accidents with some passengers who goad them to drive fast in order to reach their destinations early. They said young people are mostly to blame because they often threatened to boycott vehicles whose drivers did not impress them with their speeding.

The drivers made these allegations during an interaction with Mrs Dzifa Ativor, Deputy Minister for Transport at the Ho Main Lorry Station. The drivers said many travellers these days had become fond of fast and smaller vehicles and tended to avoid bigger buses which they claimed could not run fast enough. The drivers also complained of bad roads especially the upsurge of unauthorized speed rumps on highways without any warning sign as one other factor accounting for accidents. They said the police were fleecing them on the highways and appealed to the authorities to reduce the number of police barriers on highways.

Mrs Ativor underscored the importance of commercial drivers to the socio-economic development of the country and urged them to act professionally so as to improve the image of driving as a profession. She said driving drunk, non use of seat belts and the use of mobile phones while driving undermined safe driving and increased the risk of accidents.

Mrs Ativor urged driver organizations to promote disciplined behaviour among their members who are perceived as unruly by travellers.