Correspondence from Upper East Region

The Upper East Region has recorded 47 road crashes in the first quarter of 2023.

This involved 70 vehicles of all categories.

There were about 20 fatalities and 59 injuries. In addition, pedestrian knockdowns were reported to have witnessed an increase.

This was made known by the Assistant Planning Manager of the National Road Safety Authority of the Upper East Region, Benewel Antwi Dauda, in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb's Upper East Regional Correspondent, Sarah Dubure.

He noted with worry that the figures this quarter were very alarming in comparison with the records of previous years.

"This year, the figures are very poor. Let me tell you the fact. The situation isn't good at all. It is terrible compared to last year," he cried.

"This year, the figures are very poor let me tell you the fact. The situation isn't good at all. It is terrible, compared to last year", he cried.

He attributed the worrying development to the negative attitude of road users toward road traffic regulations.

"I can say it is attitudinal. It is the behaviour of people. In fact, you could see from our region that we are doing all our best to beat down all these, but people are not complying with us", he complained.

"It is not our making. We are doing our best. You see us in the mosques, in the churches, schools, road traffics. Even we have incorporated institution inspection to our work, he emphasised.

He also cited wrong signaling of traffic indicators, minors riding motorbikes over speeding, as some of the attitudes that cause the accidents.

"Like riders intentionally removing their mirrors from their motorbikes, not wearing of crush helmets, wrong showing if signals when entering into intersections. All these are some of the causes of our road traffic crushes here in the Upper East Region," he observed.

He quickly added that they are all set and ready to enforce the rules .

He condemned the incidence of parents sending their children on errand with motorbikes, and sometimes even ordering them to send their younger siblings to school with the bikes.

He revealed that they recently had some minors, and interdicted them.

"Last when we went on traffic education, we had to interdict some minors riding and I know this second quarter, we have to enforce these minor riders clamp down our crushes rate," he said.

He warned parents who give their motorbikes to their children underaged children to ride to be weary of that act, as they would come for them.

"Parents, if your ward is not up to 18, do not send them we are drawing programmes to enforce it. They will arrest them and call the police. We know we don't have the power, but we will still use the laws of Ghana."

He observed that the location of the drinking bars has created a situation where road users rampantly stream in to drink a number of bottles before continuing their journey.

" ...And also, you see, most of our drinking bars are always by the road side.Someone may enter and go and take one or two bottles before he will take his motor or vehicle to jump into the road. Just immediately after that, something can happen", he said.

He also raised the issue of road users joining intersections without checking for oncoming vehicles. He warned them to always check before crossing over.

He mentioned the Tanzui traffic light intersections, Abole Junction and the MTN traffic light intersection as hot spots for road accidents.

"When you look at that place per engineering design, there is something to be done. When you mount the main road, the is a sharp curve there. That is the cause. The road has to be expanded, so that there will be a clear view of those coming from Tanzui to the SSNIT office," he pointed.

He called on the people of the region to be cautious on the road and also go by the road traffic regulations in order to bring the situation under control.