The City of Kumasi last Monday commemorated the World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims with a call on drivers to always remember that accidents present permanent psychological and emotional traumas to the victims and their families.
Mr. Samuel Pyne, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) who made the call also observed that it is not always true that dead victims of vehicle knockdowns were always wrong and that drivers, passengers and pedestrians must abide by all road safety rules to avoid road crashes.
He said Road Safety is a collective responsibility and so the KMA has provided some True-Cam Laser Tech, a hightech speed checking gadgets to the Regional Police MTTD to check speed limits on our roads.
The Mayor emotionally narrated how one Obiri Yeboah, popularly known in NPP circles as Nana ‘B’ Junior died last week after he was knocked down by a vehicle around Atonsu, a suburb of Kumasi, and made some cash donations to the family.
Miss Simbiat Wiredu, the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority disclosed that a total of 2,886 accidents in which 4,876 vehicles were involved, killed 377 people and injured some 3,552 between January and October 2022 alone.
She said even though this year’s data was comparatively an improvement upon the previous year, it is still on the higher side and called for a total reduction of speed on our roads because “60 percent of accidents or road crashes are overspending related”.
Mr.Akwasi Wireko Brobby, Project Implementation Co-ordinator at KMA for Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety said “Justice”, as this year’s theme, did not only mean going to court to seek compensation for accident victims but for all stakeholders to
check themselves and actions carefully on the roads.
Nana Ampofo Kyei-Baffour II, the Asemhene appealed to the MTTD and the Road Safety Authority to strictly enforce road safety rules in the region, especially in Kumasi.
From Thomas Agbenyegah Adzey, Kumasi
