70% of vehicles lacks roadworthiness on Ghana's roads, What accounts for that?
Poor road conditions, human
error, vehicle breakdowns coupled with environmental factors like poor weather
and non-road worthy vehicles have been cited as major causes of road accidents
in Ghana as a result many people lost their lives everyday.
Statistics according to
media report revealed that four people die daily on Ghana's roads due to road
accident. Upon estimation Ghana loses over 230 million dollars yearly due to
road accidents with more than 1600 deaths.
Research
by the National Road Safety Commission revealed that in
2010 that there were 19 fatalities per 10,000 vehicles in Ghana. Statistics
again showed that 43% of the fatalities involved pedestrians and 53% involved
occupants of vehicles whiles 23% of all
pedestrians’ fatalities involved children below the age of 16 years.
What really accounts for
that? Well guess what? A lot of factors
counts but let’s find out about that of non-roadworthy vehicles that ply on
the roads everyday.
About 70% of vehicles on
Ghana's road don't meet safe standards, according to Mr Samuel Oppong,
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vehicle Inspection and Technical
Organisation (VITO), a private entity licensed by the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Authority (DVLA) to check roadworthiness of vehicles.
Mr. Oppong says this has led to many road crashes
recorded across the country.
Head of Public relations of
the Driver Vehicle and licensing Authority,Mr Kwaku Aferi maintains carelessness on the part of drivers
as well as activities of miscreants known in our local parlance “Goro boys”
accounts for the cause of non-roadworthy vehicles plying roads in Ghana.
The question often posed is what is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Authority as a body mandated by the Ghana’s parliament Act 569 in the year 1999
to ensure safety on our roads doing about it.?
Mr. Aferi explain that the Driver
and Vehicle licensing Authority (DVLA )is
in the process of installing very good equipment in their office to ensure that
vehicles are well tested before they are granted roadworthy certificates in
addition, DVLA has also computerized the driver licensing regime to ensure that
only very good drivers are seen driving on the roads.
He lamented the activities
of miscreants who often issue fake licenses and roadworthy certificates to some
drivers, adding DVLA is equally in the process of automating their services to
cut out their actions.
He cautioned drivers to
keep to the road regulations, maintain their vehicles regularly and to refrain
from drink driving.
Safety experts fear that the
roads will not be rid of carnages in years to come if nothing is done to check
up on roadworthiness of vehicles.
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