Sogakope, Sept 9, GNA - Mr Elvis Gbesemete, the Volta Regional Director of the National Road Safety Commission, has said absence of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) offices in districts under the Tongu Divisional Police Command was hampering efforts to reduce accidents and driver negligence in the area.

He said the division, which comprises Akatsi, Abor, Aveyime, Adidome and Sogakope Police District commands, were too far away from the DVLA office at Denu in the Ketu South District. Mr Gbesemete was speaking at a forum on road safety that drivers' unions, teachers, police personnel and district assembly officials attended on Tuesday at Sogakope. He said the Tongu Police Division, which leads in accident occurrence in the region, needed DVLA offices in districts under it to accelerate driver orientation, assessment and general efforts at accident control.

A nine-member Tongu Divisional Road Safety Committee was inaugurated as part of the programme. Mr Gbesemete said there was the need to control the establishment of driving schools, many of which were unregistered and turning out substandard drivers. He said one of such schools, operating in Ho, had been closed down Mr Gbesemete said a survey had shown that 84 percent of drivers in the region did not go through any formal training and demonstrate similar bad driving practices responsible for accidents. He said a model driving school was being established in Accra to be replicated in the regions later. Mr Martin Amofa, Tongu Divisional Police Commander, called for the supply of extra speed radar guns for checking speeding and alcoholmeters to check drunk driving. Mr Daniel Amelorku, South-Tongu District Chief Executive, said the government was worried over the setbacks road accidents were causing the economy and would do everything possible to ensure sanity in the sector. 09 Sept 09