Editorial
Making precious lives safe on our roads
It is becoming clear that despite the numerous appeals to motorists in the country, road crashes and deaths continue to be on the rise, making it unsafe for road users whether as pedestrians or motorists.
It has been pointed out time and again that most of the causes of road accidents are as a result of human errors that could be prevented if motorists show a little more care.
Many a time, motorists get involved in accidents because of speeding, non- observance of traffic rules and being in a hurry to get to their destination in the shortest possible time. This together with impatience on the part of many drivers leads to road accidents.
Some road accidents also occur as a result of drunkenness. Again, there are times drivers have been found not to be conversant with the road signs. All these are contributory factors that should be dealt with.
As much as possible, motorists must be well educated on all these issues so that accidents can be reduced to the barest minimum instead of seeing them increasing year-in year-out.
This is the only way to make precious lives safe on our roads. According to data compiled by Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, it has been revealed that the number of commuters killed in road traffic between January and June this year has risen to 1,454. This has resulted in 27.54 per cent increase in death compared with the number of people killed in the first six months of 2020.
Similarly, 423 pedestrians have also been killed within the same period, indicating that pedestrians killed rose from 305 in 2020 to 423 in the first six months of this year.
All these point to the fact that lives on our roads are not safe. It is, therefore, incumbent on the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to sit up and be stricter on the drivers on the roads.
Other law enforcement bodies such as the MTTD of the Ghana Police should also be very strict on the application of the road traffic regulations.
Again, while general education on road crashes is important and should be encouraged, our law courts must impose heavy punishments on those who flout traffic regulations.
The Spectator believes that, if these measures are strictly implemented they can go a long way to ensure that the roads are made safe for motorists, pedestrians and other users. The end result will be drastic reduction of injuries and fatalities on our roads.
Lives lost cannot be brought back just as harm caused by way of injuries cannot also be restored to its original form.
The call is, therefore, for everyone to play his/her part to make our roads safer than ever before.
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
