Koforidua, Aug. 31, GNA - Road accidents in Eastern Region saw a reduction of 23.8 per cent in 2010. Despite the reduction the region still remained the third most accident prone area in the country.

Mr Kwame Koduah Atuahene, the Acting Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), announced this at a press briefing in Koforidua on Tuesday.

He said the Region recorded a total of 929 road accidents in 2010 with 199 of them being fatal, resulting in the death of 259 people. Mr Atuahene said 2,224 people who were involved in the accidents suffered various degrees of injuries. He said records available indicated that 66 per cent of the road accidents in the Region occurred in only six Municipal and District Assemblies. Mr Atuahene mentioned the affected districts as Akuapem South, East Akim, Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar, Manya Krobo, Birim South and Kwahu South.

He said to reduce accidents in the Region further, his office had decided with effect from next Month to engage the affected districts to get them to appreciate road safety as developmental issues and to mainstream it in their activities.

Mr Atuahene said experience had shown that in districts where all the stakeholders including assembly members, traditional authorities and the communities were actively involved in road safety programmes, the number of road accidents reduced drastically. He cited cases at Atwima Mponua District Assembly in Ashanti Region and the Mpoho Wassa District Assembly in Western Region as two areas which had succeeded in reducing road accidents through engagement of all the stakeholders.