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The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has called for the provision of rest stops along major highways to help tackle growing incidence of road accidents.
According to the acting Director-General of NRSA, David Osafo Adonteng, the unavailability of rest stops on the major highways in the country was leading to fatigue-driving and increased road crashes.
“Fatigue has been identified as one of the major causes of accidents on our roads. There are several accidents that have occurred as a result of fatigue-driving and this is a threat to anyone behind the wheel or on the highway. Commercial drivers and shift workers are among the categories identified as most vulnerable to fatigue and sleepiness. Since there are no rest stops, most of these drivers drive without resting,” Mr Adonteng stated.
He was speaking at a meeting with stakeholders in Accra to deliberate on the causes of road accidents and find solutions to the problem.
The stakeholders included the Ghana Roads and Highways, Ghana Shippers Authority, and Motto Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police.
The rest were Ministry of Roads and Highways, Urban Roads, J.K Horgle Transport Limited, Bono East Regional Coordinating Council and chiefs from the Kwahu Traditional area.
Mr Adonteng said the authority had over the years recorded crashes as a result of drivers parking at unauthorised places on the highways which posed danger to other drivers, especially at night.
The acting Director for Planning and Programmes at the NRSA, Mr Daniel Wuaku, said that there had been a reduction in crashes, injuries and deaths by – 5.61 per cent, – 5.23 per cent and -8.80 per cent respectively from January to April, 2022.
Preliminary investigation conducted by the Authority, he revealed, indicated that 50 per cent of fatal crashes occurred as a result of fatigue driving as well as indiscriminate parking of heavy and long vehicles.
Most of the participants expressed their concern about accidents on the highways and pledged to support the NRSA and stakeholders to tackle the problem.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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