The Kumasi Polytechnic has inaugurated an ultra-modern driving school to provide training and consultancy services to enhance road safety.

It is a public private partnership arrangement between the institution and Prudential Solutions, and would be known as the 'K-Poly Divers' Academy'.

Professor Nicholas Necodemus Nana Nsowah-Nuamah, Rector of the Polytechnic, said the goal is to ensure that the country’s roads are safe for travelers.

He said being a practical-oriented tertiary institution, it has a duty to be part of the efforts at tackling the unacceptably high fatality rate on the roads, largely due to human error.

It was against this background that they had stepped in to help upgrade skills training in driving, fleet management, tourism, aviation and transport management, he added.

Prof Nsowah-Nuamah said the academy would provide a new direction in driver training – combining modern driver simulation, classroom teaching and on-road training.

It would employ a range of strategies, supported by research findings in the areas of bio-mechanics, human movement and driving psychology.

This, he said, would ensure a holistic approach to change driver behavior and attitude towards safety.

He invited all stakeholders in the transport sector, corporate bodies, commercial drivers, students and the general public to take advantage of its state-of-the-art facilities and technology to make the roads less dangerous for everybody.

Mr Marcus Obeng-Sika, Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Solutions, identified the lack of the required skills and techniques to maneuver on the road as the major cause of car crashes.

The academy’s driver simulation facility without doubt, would aid drivers to build the needed skills and appropriately apply these.