The Christian Council of Ghana has called for a halt to what it describe as the ‘senseless killings on the country’s highways.’
It said there had been countless number of carnage on the country’s major roads in recent times, most of which could have been avoided.
Accidents
Cataloguing a number of road accidents that had claimed lives on the country’s major roads, the General Secretary of the council, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, called for effective measures to make the roads safe.
He mentioned one of the causes of the accidents as broken-down vehicles on the Kumasi-Accra, Accra-Cape Coast, Cape Coast-Takoradi, Techiman-Kintampo roads among other highways.
For instance he claimed that as at last week, there were as many as 27 broken-down vehicles on the Kumasi-Nkawkaw road alone.
Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong said as a result of such recklessness, many lives had been lost on those roads. According to him, the recent death of the former Member of Parliament for Akwatia on the Kumasi-Accra road was a typical case of ‘senseless death.’
Blame
He laid the blame squarely on the doorsteps of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, urging it to enforce and tighten road regulations without fear or favour.
“We are asking them to tighten their efforts so that such vehicles would be removed and the owners surcharged,” Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong proposed.
He further called on the MTTD to ensure that all broken-down vehicles were towed immediately to avoid further killings.
Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong also advised drivers not to leave their broken-down vehicles in the middle of the roads.
He said the council was aware of the number of groups and individuals who had on many occasions also expressed concern about the carnage on the roads.
“But we need to go beyond expressing concerns to finding solutions. It is the MTTD that is supposed to make sure our roads are safe. That is why we are calling on them to enforce the laws,” Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong added.
He said the MTTD could liaise with private towing companies to tow broken-down vehicles for a fee.
Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong explained that the council’s concern was about the negligence and irresponsibility on the roads, which the MTTD needed to deal with decisively to save lives.
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