Central regional Minister, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, has commended the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and all stakeholders in road safety in the region for their role in the reduction of road accidents and fatalities in the region this year.

According to him, the region recorded 417 accidents from January to July this year leading to 72 deaths and 452 injuries.

This, he disclosed, represents a 46% reduction in the number of deaths and 42% reduction in the injury situation for the same period last year.

The regional minister made this known during the mid-year review conference and launch of the 2015-2017 National Road Safety Action Plans in Cape Coast last Wednesday.

In this regard, Mr. Quansah urged the NRSC to continue to work hard to make the region the safest in the country considering its correlation between road traffic crashes and the tourism industry that forms the backbone of region.

He also called for the establishment of a rapid response unit to be attached to the NRSC to respond promptly to accidents and also called for the return of towing trucks to clear the roads of accident vehicles.

He noted that the mid-year review conference was critical to the nation as it will allow the NRSC to keep faith with effective strategies and review those that do not seem to deliver to expectation.

He commended the NRSC for bringing honour to Ghana as the first in road safety performance in Africa by the Economic Commission of Africa (ECA).

Mr. Quansah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mfantsiman, expressed the hope that the conference will motivate stakeholders to work together towards achieving road safety for all categories of road users.

He pledged the Central Regional Coordinating Council’s (CRCC) commitment to support the NRSC and all stakeholders to sustain the gains achieved so far.

“Road safety is a collective responsibility so let us all continue to do our part to ensure safety on our roads.

“We need everybody to contribute to the development of our dear country”, he pointed out,” he noted.