Road accidents, like armed robbery, have become the sword of Damocles hanging on the head of every Ghanaian. Months before the 2008 elections, a lot of fatal accidents were recorded. On the Accra-Kumasi road, about 100 fatal accidents were recorded. More accidents were recorded throughout the country. The political parties, it was rumored, consulted fetish priests to help them win the elections. The accidents were a means of fulfilling the blood demand of the fetish priests. A storey building collapsed at a busy lorry station in Kumasi killing hundreds of passengers and crushing parked cars and buses. It was soon rumored that the human and property loss were ways for the owners to increase their wealth and purchase more buses. Recently at the Kumasi and Kokomba markets, fire raged through the markets destroying properties and causing human loss.

My emphasis in this article, however, will be on road accidents. Superstition and misplaced beliefs are diverting people’s attention from the real causes of road accidents in Ghana. The major problem lies with the condition of cars on the roads. The blame must be placed directly at the doors of Driving and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). It is their responsibility to make sure that vehicles that are not road-worthy are not issued with road-worthiness certificates. What do we see? One does not need to present his vehicle to get the sticker. The same thing applies to the acquisition of a driving license. One does not need to know how to drive to get it. There are agents hovering around the DVLA offices offering to help you get whatever you want - from road-worthiness stickers, vehicle registration, change of ownership and change of driving license status from driving a car to a bus or truck. All these so-called agents, it is believed, work in close collaboration with the officials at DVLA.

Past governments made sure new roads were constructed. Old roads linking major cities were repaired and widened.Why then do accidents still persist on our roads? The major problem is due to over-speeding and unsafe and reckless overtaking. Ghana is one of the countries where road signs and speed limits are not respected at all. The conditions of the roads have improved but the attitude of traffic policemen has not changed. Road offenders go free by a simple payment of bribes to the policeman. Many drivers have eye problems but are holding driving licenses. They can neither see what is happening around them nor drive in darkness. In the fear of losing their jobs they continue to drive even though they have very poor eye-sights. This problem has also contributed to many accidents on our roads. The frequent use of worn out tyres have also contributed to road accidents.

What can be done to prevent road accidents or at least bring it to the barest minimum? The onus lies on the government, the police, drivers, passengers and pedestrians: 1. Drunk driving should be taken more seriously. The instruments used in measuring alcohol levels in the blood are not costly anymore and government can easily afford to provide them to the motor traffic units of the police force. A motorist caught with a certain level of alcohol in his blood must automatically lose his license for a period of time as a punitive measure. Policemen who actually arrest people for drunken driving and other traffic offences who are successfully prosecuted should be commended in one way or the other, perhaps even given a promotion. We live in a country where it will be necessary to promote policemen for doing their normal jobs well if it will reduce accidents. 2. One or two examples of motorists arrested and fined for crossing white lines that they shouldn't cross will send fear into other motorists who will know that there are certain unbroken white lines marked on the road that you just cannot cross under any circumstance. 3. The DVLA or GHA should sponsor more research into the causes of road accidents. There are certain roads and spots in the country, for example, just after the Winneba junction on the Accra-Cape Coast road and at the Koforidua junction on the Accra-Kumasi road and more serious is the Bunso curve near Kyebi. If these spots cannot be rebuilt, enough warning signs must be provided. 4. It is important for passengers to stay awake for most part of the journey so that they will be able to see if the driver is sleeping or be able to warn him of over-speeding. If he refuses to heed to their demand,he must be reported to the station manager for action to be taken against him. Pedestrians too have a role to play in reducing accidents by making sure that they cross the road only at the zebra-crossing. 5)The laws which banned heavy trucks, from plying the roads after 6pm must be brought back. 6. What should be done is to exert efforts to enforce existing rules. That is our biggest problem. There are already rules to ensure safe driving in Ghana. We must begin to really enforce them without fear or favour.

The government has the greatest role to play in this regard. It is time the government realized that good roads alone do not prevent accidents. Strict laws must be put in place to prevent very old vehicles from plying the roads or coming into the country. There must be enough road signs which give either warning or information to drivers. In several places the roads are bumpy but there are no warning signs to help drivers to slow down. This has been one of the major causes of road accidents. Not long ago a petrol tanker hit a bump and fell on its side. The lorry behind crashed into the tanker and other vehicles followed, crashing into each other. The tanker caught fire and exploded, killing bystanders. This accident happened due to lack of information showing that there is a bump ahead. The DVLA must be revamped and all the so-called agents banned from hovering around the offices of DVLA. The problem is complex but I believe the government must direct its efforts and funds to purchase some of the machines which are used in the western world to subject vehicles to rigorous check and thorough examination before a road-worthiness sticker or certificate is issued. Any vehicle that does not pass must be sent back for proper repairs and come back for a second check. The inspection authority must be able to say the particular things that are wrong with the vehicle so that the owner will know what to repair. It should be possible that an inspection authority should be able to withdraw a vehicle completely from the roads if the faults are so numerous and grevious that the vehicle cannot possibly be put in a state as to go back in traffic safely. Of course, we do not have to demand standards of vehicles as high as those in Europe or the US but we should definitely try to demand higher roadworthiness standards than we do today. Road worthiness tests must be mandatory at least once every other year. Vehicle statistics must be computerised so that the vehicle authority will know when every vehicle in Ghana is due for the next test and, if possible, inform the owner accordingly. The various motor associations like GPRTU should be more fully involved in this process. They are in direct contact with the vehicle owners and drivers and can better educate them on the basics. The police must also be given more power and knowledge to make better use of the so called "flying inspections" - the inspection of basic standards of vehicles in traffic on the spot.

In conclusion, I will say that there is lack of political will on the side of the government to deal with road accidents.. The police have also failed continuously to have a firm grip of the problems which causes accidents.

Even after the 2008 elections, more fatal accidents are happening. This clearly shows that juju has no role to play in these road accidents. They are all due to human errors, poor maintenance of vehicles, and lack of seriousness on the part of the government. Not until the government takes safety on the roads as a major priority, more fatal accidents will claim the lives of Ghanaians who mean a lot to the country like the fatal accidents involving two doctors on the Kumasi-Accra road. Kwame Owusu Ansah, our most adored film actor, died from a motor accident. What about Terry Bomchaka, the rap artist? He also lost his life through a car accident. These accidents still remain in the minds of Ghanaians. Former president, John Agyekum Kufuor almost lost his life through a similar accident. Are we waiting for a President of the nation to die before something is done?

Credit: Stephen Atta Owusu

Author: Dark Faces at Crossroads

Email:shootingstar1994@hotmail.com

Source: Stephen Atta Owusu