By Alex Ababio
The Chairman for Sofoline branch of Ghana Private Road and Transport Union, GPRTU, in the Ashanti region, Mr Albert Boamah has vehemently blamed the past Governments and current New Patriotic Party Government under the leadership of His. Excellency, President Akufo Addo for high incident of road accidents in the country, especially in election years .
He indicated that both past governments and current New Patriotic Party Government were guilty of interfering with the work of the police attached to Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), especially during electioneering campaign period .
He alleged that because NPP Government did not want to be seen as using
Motor Traffic and Transport Department(MTTD) personnel to harass drivers during this electioneering campaign period which invariably would cause them to lose votes , they had asked the police to stop their routine checks against reckless driving.
According to Mr. Albert Boamah road accident statistics always show increases with it’s higher numbers of death during electioneering campaign period , because governments usually give directive to the police to stop conducting road checks on reckless driving and traffic offences committed particularly by commercial drivers plying the country’s highways.
“Police do not work ,they do not arrest traffic offenders, and so the drivers do whatever it pleases them on our highways”
He indicated that it is during this time of the year that drivers who do not even have driving licence get field day to learn on the highways.
According to him Road Traffic Regulations 2013 Regulation 37 of (L.I. 2180) stipulates that if a person is not up to 25 years they cannot drive commercial vehicle .
” But some persons within the ages 20 to 23 years drive commercial vehicles .These young drivers without driving experience even drive long hours from Kumasi to Cape Coast, but because police do not do road checks they drive any how on the, ” he stressed
Mr Albert Boamah made this remark when he was reacting to current road clashes on the country’s highways which have claimed thousands of souls in the country.
It will be recalled that seven person lost their lives yesterday after a truck conveying supporters of National Democratic Congress, NDC , got involved in a gory accident.
The incident according to some local news outlets happened at Frante in the Ejura/Sekyeredumase Municipality of the Ashanti region.
Meanwhile, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) has communicated fears that with the 2020 political race drawing closer there could be a repeat of increasing road fatalities.
Information for June from MTTD indicated 232 fatalities, a 36% expansion from the 171 passings recorded in May, which was additionally higher than the 143 in April.
The all out month to month road carnage was up by 12%, complete vehicles associated with the accidents expanded by 8% and people harmed surged by 8%.