Tamale, Dec. 6, GNA - The Minister of Transport, Mr. Mike Hammah has embarked on an official to Tamale, capital of the Northern Region, to step up the national road safety campaign during the Christmas holidays. The minister who was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Transport, Madam Dzifa Attivor interacted with drivers, transport operators and owners at various lorry stations in Tamale and educated them on road safety measures such as wearing of seat belts, avoiding over speeding, drink driving and over loading.

The national campaign would take the ministers to Techiman in the Brong Ahafo, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region and Accra.

Mr. Hammah told the Ghana News Agency that his tour was to demonstrate to the drivers that there is political weight attached to road safety to ensure accident free Christmas.

He said government had approved the amended road safety act, ACT 683 2004 and would soon be presented to parliament for study and approval to give more operative mechanisms to ensure safety on the roads. Mr. Hammah in a response to the driver's concerns about the deplorable road networks said government had secured funds for the construction of the Eastern corridor road to reduce the burden of travelling on the stretch. He said government was restructuring the Metro Mass Transport Company to be able to address the needs of passengers.

Some drivers complain about the absence of highway police patrol team resulting in a number of accidents on the Kumasi -Tamale road.