Takoradi, Dec.13, -GNA-As the result of sustained public education on safety regulations and collaboration of efforts by stakeholders, road accidents in the Western Region had been on the decline of late, says Mr. Thomas Bismark Boakye, Regional Coordinator of the National Road Safety commission (NRSC).

Even though he did not elaborate, he repeated the appeal to motorists and the general public to exhibit high sense of responsibility in the use of the roads to further reduce the spate of accidents, especially during the coming holidays. Mr. Boakye said these when he presented two award winners in the 2007 Donewell Insurance Company's Road Safety Campaign and Best Driver Awards Scheme to the press at a ceremony at Takoradi on Thursday. Mr. Joseph Darko and Mr. Ekow Baffoe; nominees from the Western Region won the first and third positions respectively in the national competition in which about 14 competitors were short listed for the final competition.

Mr. Darko took home a Nissan X-trail vehicle while Mr. Baffoe was presented with a KLM ticket to Holland and a hotel accommodation for two at the Fiesta Royale Hotel. Mr. Boakye commended the award winners for bringing honours to the region and urged drivers in the region to emulate them. He spoke about the road safety situation in the region and emphasised the need for a more concerted efforts to check roads accidents most of which could be prevented. Mr. Boakye said taxi drivers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis were the worse offenders when it comes to the disregard for road traffic regulations.

Ironically, he said most of these cars belonged to personnel in the Police Service and the various private and public security agencies who sometimes use the taxis even though some have no licences. Mr. Boakye warned that adequate measures would be taken against offenders without fear or favour. He advised parents to educate their children on the use of the road to check the spate of pedestrian knockdowns that are prevalent in the metropolis.

On the upcoming Ghana 2008 tournament, Mr. Boakye said a team from the National Ambulance Service is in the region to draw contingency plans in case of emergencies.

The region had taken delivery of five ambulances and volunteers from the Saint John's Ambulance, the Red Cross and the Ghana National Fire Service would hold a mock exercise at the Essipong Stadium to train and test their state of preparedness during an emergency. Contacts had been made at the Cape-Coast government hospital to support any accident that may happen during the period. More than 100,000 football fans from Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria alone are expected in the Metropolis to cheer their teams during the fiesta. 13 Dec 07