Police MTTD to clear abandoned vehicles on roads

The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), of the Ghana Police Service will from next month deploy towing vehicles onto the roads to tow abandoned vehicles and clear the roads for users.

 

This is part of a strategy outlined by the MTTD to help curb the high incidence of road accidents occurring in the country. 

 

 “The partner in towing service delivery would be seen with us towing vehicles on our roads as part of strategy to curb road accidents.

 

 The tow service providerS would be seen back on the roads for the road users to enjoy such services and remove such equipment that endanger lives”, DSP Alexander Kwaku Obeng, officer in charge of Education, Research and Training at the MTTD disclosed to the media on Wednesday. 

 

Speaking to the GNA on the side-lines of a road safety workshop organised for members of the Association of Certified Driving Instructor of Ghana (ASSOCDRIVE) in Accra, DSP Obeng said the current cases of road accidents were on the rise and the number of injuries, deaths and damages of vehicles were too many.

 

He attributed the high increased in road crushes to reckless over taking, indiscipline on the roads, lack of maintenance of vehicles and over speeding.

 

He disclosed that between January 1 to March 11, 2016, road crashes have increased from 2,358 to 2,445 this year within the same period.

 

Vehicles involved in the crushes for last year were 3,350, which had also increased to 4,094 between January and March this year. Such vehicles included private, commercial and motorcycles.

 

DSP Obeng explained further that in the process pedestrians that had been knocked down had increased sadly from 524 to 769 while 2,180 persons got injured last year and in this year it has increased to 2,523.

 

“Sadly too, persons that have been killed have also increased from 406 to 426 and while these crashes are not far-fetched because of general indiscipline on our roads among road users, some owners are not maintaining their vehicles well”.

 

 He said: “Other owners have also given their vehicles to disqualified drivers to drive who are inexperienced. Others have also given their vehicles to unlicensed persons on our roads”. 

 

He therefore advised members of the ASSODRIVE to pay attention to the rules, regulations and laws governing driving, as they instruct others on how to drive or use the roads. 

 

He said before Ghana gained independence, there was no need for vehicle instructors because there were only a few vehicles but presently the need for professional instructors was critical in helping bring sanity on the roads. 

 

He noted that the congestion of vehicles on our roads demanded diversifying the transport system and constructing more rail lines to link inter cities and to ease the problem of congestion that had also been a contributing factor to road crashes.

 

DSP Obeng tasked the Association to develop an Instructors’ Oath that the instructors would “swear and hold allegiance to” before assuming the mantle of instructorship as done by other professionals whose work revolves around human lives.

 

Mr Daniel Korrasi, the President of the Association said their ’vision was to have a Ghana free of crashes and that would be done through the promotion of professionalism among its memberships.

 

Mr Seth Koomson, General Secretary of the Association said ASSOCDRIVE was established in May 2014 to promote and carry out quality road traffic education and sensitisation for the realisation of a crash free driving society.

 

He said the Association would thus increase their campaign among members of commercial driver associations who lack education on road signs and symbols.

 

Source: GNA