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Editorial

Road safety: Are drivers becoming more careful?

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 Stakeholders including the Ghana Police Service, the National Road Safe­ty Authority, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority launched yet another road safety campaign in November 2022 as the Christmas and New Year festivities ap­proached.

The “Stay Alive; Gyae Obonsam Agyuma No,” cru­sade was to help reduce road accidents in the Eastern Region and beyond as crashes tended to increase during the yuletide.

Road experts maintain that deaths and injuries could have been avoided if drivers observed road regulations but it appears only a handful of them {drivers} and road users heed this caution.

Even before the 2022 Christmas celebrations start­ed, a number of road acci­dents had been recorded, many of which might have been caused by driver negli­gence and bad roads.

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Although the impact of the 2022 road safety campaign is yet to manifest, I believe drivers are becoming more careful on our roads. Re­flecting on happenings in my locality as of January 5, 2023, I am convinced there was less ‘tragedy’ during the festive season.

This notwithstanding, the road safety campaigns should be an all-year activity. Public education on bad driving hab­its should not be intensified only on ‘special occasions’ or when sponsors secure enough funds to launch campaign.

Drivers should constantly be reminded that it is not safe to answer phone calls when driving.

No matter what speed one is driving at, mobile phones remain a distractive element. Apart from making voice calls, some drivers tend to bury their head behind the steer­ing wheel to respond to text messages while in traffic.

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Already, there are fines for drivers who breach road traf­fic regulations and I wish to encourage the police to apply those sanctions to the letter, especially when a driver’s carelessness leads to loss of lives.

While at it, I encourage stakeholders to push for the repair of all bad roads. Those without adequate furniture, including street lights and proper markings for safe driv­ing should be restored while those which require dualisa­tion should be completed in time.

By Josephine Nyorkor Ntreh & Serwaa Marfo,

Ghana Institute of Journalism.

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Editorial

Unhygienic food selling environment: A serious concern that must be addressed

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Food stuff being sold near an open gutter

Dear Editor,

It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.

In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.

In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.

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While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.

I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.

Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.

However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.

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While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.

As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.

From Syram

Oyarifa

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Editorial

Provide adequate protection for footballers

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Dear Editor,

I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.

The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.

The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.

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Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.

I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.

From Eugene Ampiaw

Accra

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