Road crashes in Upper West claims 50 lives in six months

Fifty people died out of 100 reported road crashes that occurred from January to July this year in the Upper West Region; the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has said.

It said 20 of the deaths occurred during the first quarter of the year and the number increased to 30 in the second quarter.

Mr Abdul-Samad Mohammed, the Upper West Regional Manager of the Commission, said this during a training and education programme for drivers at Gwollu in the Sissala West District.

He said 147 vehicles were involved in the crashes adding that 46 were fatal cases, 34 serious, 20 minor and 141 injuries.

The Road Safety Regional Manager said 90% of the crashes were as a result of human factors such as time pressure, peer pressure, stress, fatigue, distractions as well as drugs and alcohol intake.

Mr Mohammed advised drivers not to be presumptuous, reckless, arrogant, threatening and selfish when driving on busy roads adding that a good driver was someone who was prepared for the unexpected, considerate to other road users and looked after his/her vehicle properly.

He said equally important characteristics of such a driver are being responsible, concentration, anticipation, tolerance, patience, confidence, consideration, courtesy and possessing the common sense.

Mr Mohammed also mentioned vehicles that are ahead, poor visibility, road works, sharp bends, and trucks without light as well as broken down container trucks on the inner lane as some of the road hazards that drivers should be cautious of when driving especially during the night.

He appealed to drivers to take enough rest in the night before embarking on an early morning journey to avoid fatigue and its associated consequences saying that officers should not force their drivers to speed because of time pressure as that could lead to disastrous consequences.

Source: GNA