The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of TUC has rolled out safety measures in an attempt to reduce road accidents ahead of this year’s Christmas and New-Year celebrations.

The measures among other things are to sensitize drivers to be vigilant and also desist from overloading, wrongful overtaking, over speeding, taking alcoholic beverages whiles driving as well as the indulgence of unnecessary conversations with passengers and refusal to observe mandatory rest period.

The Regional Vice Chairman, Sumaila Yaw Boakye, who disclosed this to the Media in Kumasi on Friday, December 18, 2020, said the secretariat was holding workshops to sensitize drivers to be vigilant during yuletide.

He further warned them not to be influenced by greed to overload their vehicles or speed to reach their destinations at a limited time as such situations could cause accidents. He cautioned the drivers to make sure their road documents such as licenses and insurance were always valid to avoid any security confrontations.

Yaw Boakye called on drivers to be disciplined, maintain their vehicles, avoid using worn-out tyres and defective headlights, “unnecessary overtaking and speeding” and avoid fatigue to ensure safety on the roads.

"Transport owners and drivers should Insure their vehicles and pay their income tax promptly to enable the government to undertake more development projects including road maintenance," he said.

According to MR. Yaw Boakye Road Safety is a shared and collective responsibility and we all have a role to play in reducing carnages on roads adding that “precious lives are being lost on the highways through reckless and careless driving especially during Christmas festivities,”.

He advised motorists to be careful and to observe road traffic regulations especially in this harmattan season to save lives and property, stressing that “Every passenger wants to travel and get home alive but not in a morgue”.

Sumaila Yaw Boakye appealed to government to take steps to remove unnecessary speed ramps especially those erected by residents instead of Department of Urban roads adding that "those speed ramps mounted do not conform to standard specification thereby causing unimaginable accidents".

“We have to talk to the people that it is not good to have speed ramps at unauthorized places. Educating the people is very important therefore the media and the road commission have to come in to educate the public.”

He indicated that the rampant erection of speed ramps with virtually no road signs had contributed significantly to the increasing rate of road accidents in the Region and called on government to ensure the roads were well maintained to prevent accidents.