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Be cautious to prevent accidents during and after the festive seasons- Drivers advised
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Drivers in the country have been advised to be cautious on the road and exercise due diligence while driving to help prevent accidents during and after the festive seasons.
The Corporate Communications Manager of Vivo Energy, Shirley Tony Kum who gave the advice, said it was necessary they drove with diligence to help reduce the many accidents on the roads.
She stated that it was unfortunate that many of the drivers do not have first aid kits in their vehicles, let alone not having to apply medical care to passengers during accidents or emergencies and reiterated the need to have such basic kits coupled with due diligence to ensure their own safety and that of passengers.
Mrs Shirley Tony Kum gave the advice at the launch of the 2023 Stop, Think and Drive Road Safety campaign initiated by Vivo Energy in collaboration with the National Roads Safety Authority and Transporters in Koforidua on Wednesday.
The launch of the campaign was aimed at building the capacity of motorists to improve road user behaviour and reduce the risks of involvement in road accidents.
As part of the campaign, participants were taken through a refresher defensive driving training course and were equipped with basic first aid skills in administering medical care to passengers during accidents or in case of emergencies.
Mrs Shirley Tony Kum revealed that provisional statistics from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service indicated that Road Traffic Crashes, Injuries and Deaths (CID) saw a consistent month-on-month reduction in 2022 ending the year with 14, 960 crashes, 15, 690 Injuries and 2,373.
“Deaths representing 7.55%, 1.54% and 20.11% reductions respectively, compared to the year 2021,” she added.
She believed that the initiative has contributed significantly to the reduction in the observed CIDs and should be sustained, hence the launch in the Koforidua to train more drivers.
The Corporate Communications Manager advised the drivers to be careful on the roads and drive with caution to ensure their safety and that of their passengers.
The Eastern Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Nana Akua Ansaah Cobbinah said research has shown that most road accidents and their associated fatalities were caused by human error, poor mechanical maintenance, bad road and bad weather conditions.
She again noted that 96 per cent of accidents were caused by human error, and reiterated the need to educate drivers on road safety to urge them to obey road traffic rules as well as ensure that they drive safely.
“We have also educated the drivers on maintaining their vehicles so that they will be for use,” she said and added that training would impact knowledge on road safety issues to enable them to drive well during and after the festive season.
The Principal Industrial Relations Officer at the GPRTU in the Eastern Region, Alhaji Salifu Alhassan said one of the causes of road accidents in the region was bad roads and therefore appealed to the government to expedite action on roads which were under construction, adding that due to the bad nature of road, drivers have to resort to alternative roads making driving difficult.
He stated that the festive season was the time drivers conveyed more passengers to their various destinations and added that the training would make them more cautious on the roads.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Picture Caption
The drivers being sensitised by the Eastern Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Nana Akua Ansaah Cobbinah
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
