Ashanti bus terminals directed to employ safety officers
The Ashanti Regional Head of the Ghana Road Safety Authority (GRSA), Mrs Simbiat Wiredu, has directed all bus terminals in the region to appoint safety officers and vehicles which travel more than 500 km or eight hours to get additional drivers.
She said the safety officers were to ensure strict compliance with the traffic regulations while an additional driver would reduce fatigue and promote safety.
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Mrs Wiredu gave the directive when Vivo Energy Ghana, marketers of and distributors of Shell branded products, together with the GRSA and the Kwadaso Municipal Assembly, sensitised drivers in the Ashanti Region to the new directive and safety protocols.
Protocols
The protocols include not driving when tired, the use of seatbelt, having enough sleep the previous night and regular exercise.
About 500 drivers were taken through practical demonstration of some of the protocols and how to avoid carnage on the road.
Mrs Wiredu hinted that the authority was collaborating with its stakeholders to come out with a joint road safety task force to educate drivers on the highways and how to inspect their vehicles before embarking on a journey.
She said the authority had come out with directives for commercial drivers to get trained before they renewed their licences.
She advised drivers to go through the proper procedure to attain their licences.
The Kwadaso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Richmond Agyenim Boateng, told drivers to put safety first by building their capacities and protecting themselves and commuters from possible crashes.
Road safety
He commended Vivo Energy Ghana and the GRSA for consistently championing road safety in Ghana through various interventions.
The MCE said the assembly would liaise with the authority to ensure that roads became safe for drivers and travellers.
“We have assembly security guards who go out to vantage points to supervise and check out traffic flow and also assist pedestrians,” he said.
The Corporate Communications Manager of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mrs Shirley Tony Kum, called for greater collaboration with all stakeholders to reduce recklessness and thereby avoid preventable accidents on the road.
She said the company would do more to support any campaign that would save human lives.
