The Eastern Regional branch of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), has held a sensitization meeting with all drivers in the various institutions in the region, on the need to drive responsibly to reduce road accidents this year.

The programme formed part of the Regional MTTD’s efforts to reduce, by a greater number, the statistics of road accidents and deaths in the region, and the nation as a whole.

Drivers from the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), the Police headquarters, other governmental agencies and departments, as well as those from private business companies in the region, attended and participated.

They were taken through Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180, which contains the various regulations for all road users in the country and other basic concerns, bordering on responsible road usage.

Police Chief Superintendent Ebenezer Larbi, the Regional MTTD Commander, reminded the drivers on the dangers of driving when they were tired, and drinking alcohol or sniffing of substances before driving.

He also touched on unnecessary overtaking which had become a competition on the road, among drivers, adding that such situations had resulted in several fatal accidents.

Chief Superintendent Larbi urged the participants to guard against overspeeding, which so far was the cause of 90 percent road accidents, according to the National Police Statistics.

He appealed to them to observe the appropriate speed limits, as indicated by the motor-traffic regulation 163 of the LI 2180.

“When you are in a procession area or market and school places, your maximum speed should be 30 kilometres per hour, when you are in build-up areas your speed limit is 50km/h, and when you are outside an urban area, your speed should be 90km/h,” he advised.

Chief Superintendent Larbi entreated the drivers to be at peace with Police MTTD personnel on duty, since their duty was basically to help drivers to protect their own lives and that of the passengers on board.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Peter K. Duodo, the Second-in-Command of the Regional MTTD, also called on the drivers to handle their driving licenses with care, as they do to their car keys.

“Telling the Police that you have forgotten your license at home or office is no excuse and will not be accepted,” he said.

The Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), ASP Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, urged the drivers not to engage in verbal exchanges with Police personnel in public, but rather report at the appropriate quarters for redress whenever they feel dissatisfied.