Editorial

Let’s be careful on our roads

Published

5 years ago

October 3, 2020

Road crashes have claimed the lives of many since the year began and the current incessant accidents which occurred on our roads make the situation worrying.
One leaves the house with the hope of returning but unfortunately this becomes a mirage as the person’s life is shortened or is maimed for life through road accident.
Between January and August this year, reports say that Ghana has recorded 1,585 deaths on our roads. This involved 15,459 vehicles, 1,638 pedestrian knockdowns and 9,397 injuries.
These figures were revealed by the Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, who noted that the figures were higher compared to that of last year within the same period. She, however, noted that there had been a reduction in pedestrian knockdowns within the same period.
Although accidents cannot be predetermined, ensuring safety on our roads is key and this must be tackled urgently by involving all stakeholders to play their roles to push forward NRSA’s ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign which aims at zero accidents on our roads.
Precious lives are lost during road crashes and most of these victims are in the productive age. The repercussion is that productivity suffers and this affects families and the nation as a whole.
The negligence on the part of drivers, especially commercial drivers who mostly drive carelessly and ignore speed limits, violation of red lights, coupled with bad nature of roads, rickety vehicles, and worn-out tyres are some of the causes of accidents on our roads.
Notwithstanding that, the NRSA has revealed that most of the accidents occurred on flat and straight roads, meaning speeding and other factors played a major role.
Besides that, wrong overtaking, non-observance of road signs, drinking of alcohol prior to driving and tiredness which leads to sleeping behind the steering wheel are also factors of road accidents.
Most passengers refuse to prompt the driver when he is speeding, and this negligence affects innocent lives.

In fact, some spare drivers are not experienced and this must be discouraged. The transport unions must ensure that commercial drivers are professionals who possess the requisite licence before the person is allowed to drive.
Recently, there was public outcry on the need for pedestrian footbridges at vantage points on some highways but it is sad to note that some pedestrians have neglected the footbridges and zebra crossings, instead they have resorted to crossing major roads amid speeding vehicles at their peril. This must be checked by the law enforcement agencies and the appropriate sanctions meted to offenders to deter others.
The bad roads should be fixed regularly, with major and minor potholes filled to ensure smooth driving. Road contractors should mount speed ramps at vantage points to check speeding in communities.
Unnecessary competition among drivers as to who gets to his destination early should be avoided to prevent accidents. Those who travel on either short or long journeys must set off early and drive within the speed limits in order to get to their destinations safely.
As the election approaches and the end of the year draws nearer, The Spectator entreats all pedestrians and drivers to be disciplined on the road. Motorcyclists who do not wear their helmets should desist from that to save lives.
Award systems should be instituted to give a special package either quarterly or monthly to drivers who drive professionally.
Transport unions should collaborate with some organisations to institute measures that would check the behaviour of commercial drivers and their vehicles and organise refresher courses for drivers to upgrade their skills.
The NRSA should also intensify its road safety campaigns by collaborating with the media to sensitise the public for a positive change in attitudes towards road safety in the country.
All hands must be on deck to ensure zero accidents on our roads. Let’s be careful on our roads.

Editorial

Would there ever be beds?

Published

6 days ago

February 28, 2026

WeeklySpectator

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

Editorial

Ending the ‘No Bed’ syndrome

Published

6 days ago

February 28, 2026

WeeklySpectator

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