Mr Joseph Kwesi Gbeze, Presiding Member for the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly has advised drivers of public and statutory institutions to desist from violating road safety regulations.
He said drivers of public institutions must not use the institutional identity to flout road traffic regulations as the law does not cover their act: “they are rather expected to set high professional standard on the road.
“As an official vehicle driver you must ensure that you follow the rules and regulations. It was unfortunate to hear or see public drivers drive on the shoulders or inner road when traffic builds-up. Such unprofessional behaviours are against the law.”
Mr Gbeze was speaking on the platform of the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office Road Safety Campaign with the Tema Regional Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service.
The GNA-Tema and MTTD Road Safety Project seeks to actively create consistent and systematic weekly awareness advocacy on the need to be cautious on the road as a user, educate all road users of their respective responsibilities, and sensitize drivers especially on the tenets of road safety regulations, rules and laws.
On the role of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in enforcing road safety regulations within their jurisdiction, Mr Gbeze said the Assembly particularly the Chief Executive and their respective MTTD Commanders must have regular interaction.
He revealed that the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Solomon Tettey Appiah and the Commander of the Tema MTTD as well as the Municipal MTTD Commander consistently meet to plan on enforcement of discipline on the roads.
Mr Gbeze charged assembly members to initiate systematic public education with the local drivers’ union especially the Ghana Private Road Transport Unions (GPRTU) as a means to instill the sense of road safety responsibility in them.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, GNA Tema Manager explained that, the essence of the “GNA-Tema and MTTD Road safety campaign,” was to use the power of the media to support and educate the public on the negative impact of road accidents.
He said as part of the initiative strategic individuals and institutions would be offered the opportunity to send road safety message to their constituents as a means to raise awareness.
Mr Ameyibor called on state and non-state institutions to consistently organize or send their drivers to undertake refresher courses in driving; “Ironically management of institutions regularly organizes refresher courses for their staff but forget that their drivers also need education to understand road safety regulations.
“Your life is always in the hand of a driver anytime you sit in a car, we must therefore ensure that these drivers are psychologically tune-up for the task”.
He also advised the passengers to serve as the first line of check on the driver; and gently draw the attention of speeding drivers to slow down.
