NRSC wants stiff punishment for contractors who fail to provide adequate road signs at construction sites

The Board of Directors of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) on Thursday chastised road contractors who do not provide sufficient road signs at construction sites, thereby leading to avoidable road crashes in the country.

The Board proposed stiffer punishment for road contractors who did not provide adequate road signage and notices for places of construction.

A statement signed by its Chairman, Mr Yaw Boateng Gyan expressed regret at the death of 10 passengers last week (July 19, 2011) at Akatsi on the Accra–Lome road.

The cause of the accident according to him was attributed to the lack of notice and signage before and after the part of the road under construction.

The statement was issued after a five-member delegation from the Board visited the scene of the crash to ascertain the cause of the ghastly road accident involving some travellers from La Cote d’Ivoire enroute to Cotonou.

According to the statement China-Geo Limited, the construction firm working on the road diversion between Akatsi and Abor in the Volta Region, failed to provide notices on the road.

It said the Ivorian bus carrying 68 passengers was confronted at 04:15 hours on that stretch of road which used to be a straight stretch without a curve.

The statement said the driver who apparently had not used the road in the last six months since the reconstruction began, lost control of the steer after a futile attempt to negotiate the sharp curve which he did not anticipate as there was no warning sign.

Source: GNA