Regional News of Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Source: GNA

Sixty perish in accidents in Brong Ahafo

Sixty people perished in 158 recorded road accidents between January and March this year in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Paul Wesley Baah, Regional Commander of Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani in an interview, said 41 of the dead were males and 19 females.

Nine of the deceased were aged below 18 years.

DSP Baah said 40 of the cases were fatal whilst 269 passengers got injured in the accidents, which involved 116 commercial, 62 private vehicles and 23 motor bicycles.

He advised drivers to drive with caution and avoid over-speeding and wrong over-taking, to avoid placing their lives and those of passengers in danger.

Parents as breadwinners of some families are losing their lives, the MTTU commander noted, observing that with little carefulness on the road, lives and properties would be saved.

DSP Baah warned drivers that the law would not spare any driver or user of the road who abused road regulations as they would be arrested and dealt with accordingly by the law.

He disclosed that 132 drivers were arrested for committing various traffic offences during the period under review and 77 of them arraigned before the courts were sentenced to pay total fines of GH¢13,650.

DSP Baah said 21 of the cases were awaiting trial, 44 under investigations, one person acquitted and discharged and 10 served with warning letters.**