Tamale, March 10, GNA- The Tamale Municipal area recorded 54 accident cases within a nine-week period from January 1 to March 6, this year.

Mr George Oppong Asante, Northern Regional Police Commander, said this in a speech read for him at this year's celebration of the International Civil Defence Organization Day (ICDO), in Tamale on Wednesday.

The theme for the celebration worldwide is: "Civil defence and road safety", while Ghana had a national theme: "Road safety, the role of the police".

Mr Asante said 12 out of the accidents were fatal and claimed lives, while there were 16 serious cases and 26 minor ones, all involving 66 vehicles.

With motorcycles, he said there were 18 accidents, resulting in the death of 16 people while 60 others were injured, adding that most of the bikes were damaged beyond repairs.

The Regional Police Commander mentioned speeding, over-loading, non-maintenance of vehicles, unnecessary overtaking, driving under the influence of alcohol and refusal to observe road signs and regulations as some of the offences road users commit, which result in accidents. Mr Asante warned drivers that this year, the police would strictly enforce the law on drunkenness and over-speeding.

Mr Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister, observed that the police were partly to blame for some of the accidents on the roads because "most of the times they see many overloaded passenger trucks, some with people sitting on the roofs but they pretend as if they have not seen them".

He added that until passengers insist on their rights and refuse to board vehicles, which are overloaded, they stand equally guilty. He appealed to rural communities not to construct unauthorised speed ramps on the roads because they could cause fatal accidents since some drivers may not be aware of them.

The Regional Minister was not happy that some members of the public rather rob accident victims of their valuables instead of going to their aid, and wondered whether Ghanaians have now abandoned their social responsibility towards their neighbours.

He cautioned hit-and-run drivers to refrain from such acts and rather be humane enough to convey their victims to the hospital for prompt attention.

Mr Debrah said the government was putting in place structures to enable every citizen to learn the basics of first aid so that they could be of help in situations of emergency.

Alhaji Mahamoud Alhassan, Northern Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), appealed to the government and other stakeholders in disaster management to commit more resources for the training of personnel in the sector.

He said in most accidents, the first to arrive on the scene were either drivers or people who live and work closely by and it was therefore necessary for every citizen to have training in first aid and rescue skills.

He said NADMO had taken the first step in this direction by expanding its Disaster Volunteer Groups (DVGs) in the region and equipping them with the basic skills.

NADMO, he said, had also constituted a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to train people in first aid while the organization was in the process of establishing an ambulance service.

Alhaji Amadu Almusah, the Northern Regional Chairman of the GPRTU, appealed to the government to make lessons in driving part of the curriculum of the basic schools.