THE National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is working towards achieving a single digit accident fatality rate per 10,000 vehicles by 2015.
The commission believes that the attainment of the single digit will go a long way to improve tourism revenue which has been on the decline owing to the high incidence of road accidents, thus reducing patronage of tourist sites across the country.
Launching the national axle load campaign programme in Tema,the Executive Director of the commission, Mr Noble Appiah, expressed worry at media reports of Ghana being among the list of worst accident prone countries in the world.
According to him, the selection of the country in 2006 by the World Bank as a model for best practice in road safety regulations clearly demonstrated the country’s safety commitment.
The programme, which seeks to enforce axle load limits at various weigh bridges aimed at discouraging incidence of overloading and other road associated risks, is being supported by the European Union (EU).
Mr Appiah said that the United States alone recorded about 40,000 road deaths annually.
He said Russia alone recorded 25,000 deaths every year, which were far higher than 14,000 car crashes with 2,000 deaths being recorded in Ghana.
“Ghana has the institutional capacity for better management of road safety but lack of commitment and passion from politicians, policy makers and engineers are thwarting efforts aimed at improving transport and its infrastructure,” Mr Appiah stated.
He also expressed worry at low remuneration of drivers, thus compelling them to engage in overloading and other illegal activities to survive, and charged transport owners and institutions to redefine welfare packages and incentives for drivers.
Mr Appiah also announced that the NRSC’s new transport regulations which were before cabinet would see the employment of stringent measures where persons wishing to operate transport businesses must belong to associations.
While commending the EU for releasing GH¢ 50,000 for the commencement of the campaign, Mr Appiah charged stakeholder institutions to complement the commission’s efforts towards ensuring the regulations that would effectively prolong the life-span of road infrastructure in the country.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, said his ministry in collaboration with the Ghana Highway Authority, the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) would utilise weigh bridge registration of trucks.
He said seven high speed weight-in-motion sensors had been installed on some major trunk roads to enable stakeholders to obtain accurate statistics on overloading.
Mr Gidisu also announced that his ministry in partnership with its development partners was in the process of installing intelligent monitoring systems to address corruption at axle load check points.
He lamented the Road Traffic Act, Act 684 which prohibits the imposition of fines proportional to overload, thus giving haulers a fair advantage to maximise overload and pay meagre fines to the detriment of the road.
Mr Hammah also announced that the government was considering a new legislative instrument on axle load to effectively control overloading, which would considerably reduce the life-span of roads.
The Secretary of the Ghana Haulage Drivers Association, Mr Mohammed Ghani, called for an interception between the policy framework and operation.
According to him, the government ought to sensitise artisans involved in the construction of trailers at the Suame Magazine on the need to use lighter materials that met specifications.
That, he said, would also minimise pressure on the roads since tonnage of goods would meet the roads requirement.
The Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinator of the NRSC, Assistant Commissioner of Police (retd) Victor Tandoh also called for the erection of mobile axle load points on transit routes across the board.
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