The National Road Safety Authority will, before the end of this year, come out with a regulation to ban commercial drivers who are not members of any transport union from operating.
Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, who disclosed this, said the Regulation forms part of measures to reduce carnage on the roads.
He made the disclosure at the launch of the Road Safety ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign and introduction of Quality Bus Services in Takoradi.
The occasion was also used to inaugurate a state-of-the-act Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA) regional office in Takoradi.
Mr Ofori Asiamah regretted that road traffic crashes had led to high incidence of fatalities and serious injuries that could have been avoided if caution had been exercised.
Statistics
Statistics indicate that the country, from January to August this year, recorded 9,205 crashes, resulting in 1,585 deaths, 1,638 pedestrian knockdowns and 9,397 injuries involving 15,459 vehicles.
The Transport Minister said preliminary investigations conducted into some of these crashes identified non-compliance with road safety regulations as the main cause of these accidents.
He however expressed strong conviction that with compliance and right collaboration from key stakeholders, the carnage on the roads can be stemmed.
According to Mr Asiamah, it is the unions that will be held liable should something happen on the road, hence the need for all drivers to join the various unions.
Advocacy
The Director General of the Authority, Ing May Obiri-Yeboah, appealled to politicians and the general public to join the advocacy for discipline on the road as the country prepares for the 2020 general election and Christmas.
Mrs Obiri-Yeboah said the Authority has, for the past years, had serious resource challenges, capacity constraints and low level of commitment from duty bearers.
She said it is in response to these challenges and the need to protect lives on the roads that the government, last year, passed the National Road Safety Authority Act, Act 993, to enhance the Authority’s mandate in promoting, coordinating and regulating activities related to road safety.
The board chairman of DVLA, Frank Davies, said the Authority had undergone numerous physical and technological changes, and therefore cautioned that those who still hold on to their old ways of doing things, and will not allow the changes to impact positively on DVLA’s operations, to be ready for a battle.