Tamale, June 21, GNA - The Northern Regional Police Command on Friday met executives of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) in Tamale to deliberate on measures to reduce road accidents in the region. The Ghana Police Service organised the meeting in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), aimed at sensitising the executives on the need to educate drivers and vehicle owners to regularly service their vehicles as means of controlling road accidents. Mr. Ephraim Okoe Brakatu, Commissioner of Police, advised the GPRTU executives to ensure that their members validated their road worthy certificates and other documents on regular basis. He said the police would not accept pleas from executives who come to the station to beg for the release of drivers who had been arrested. Superintendent of Police Ebenezer Lartey, Northern Regional Police Crime Officer, advised drivers to always thoroughly inspect the luggage they carried so that they do not turn out to be offensive materials such as arms, drugs and other smuggled goods. He said it was necessary for drivers to report suspicious characters on board their vehicles to the nearest checkpoint to help track down on criminals and other crime related issues such as child trafficking.

The GPRTU executives called on the NRSC to put enough road signboards along the roads to avoid accidents. The National Road Safety Commission in collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) and Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) also organised a day's exercise to check the right use of vehicle fog lights by heavy-duty vehicle users. The exercise was to enable road users to make good use of fog lights to ensure safety on the roads. Lorries that had fake fog lights were removed while their drivers were educated on the dangers of fake fog lights. Mr. Sumani Mohammed Mbo, Northern Regional Coordinator of the NRSC, said one of the major causes of night accidents is the improper use of the fog-light. He said the fog lights could only be used in fogy areas and especially during the Hamarttan season. The drivers expressed appreciation to the authorities for the education since many of them felt the fog lights were for decoration and pledged to comply with rules to ensure that sanity prevailed on the road.