Winneba (Central Region), 11th October 99

The Winneba District Office of the Vehicle Examination and Licensing Division (VELD) of the Ministry of Roads and Transport recorded 323 motor accidents in six districts between January and September, this year.

More than 20 of these were fatal and involved taxi cabs, mini buses, heavy trucks and motor cycles. Mr. W.D.C. Amedekanya, Officer in charge of the zone, who disclosed this over the weekend could not however tell offhand the number of casualties recorded in the accidents. The Winneba office of VELD caters for Mfantseman, Ajumako-Anyan- Essiam, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Agona, Awutu-Effutu-Senya, and the Gomoa administrative areas.

Mr. Amedekanya identified Mankessim commercial drivers as the worst offenders, followed by private car owners who ply the Accra-Cape Coast highway during weekends and warned them to ensure strict observance of traffic laws and regulations to reduce accidents on the highway. Vehicle owners who get drunk at funerals at weekends and do not have full concentration should engage the services of qualified drivers to avoid any mishap. Mr. Amedekanya urged the leadership of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union to institute tougher measures to check commercial drivers who flout traffic laws with impunity. The Union must also set up special monitoring teams in all 110 districts of the 10 regions to deal with such recalcitrant drivers