The Upper West Regional Office of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has acknowledged motorbike dealers as key stakeholders in ensuring compliance with road traffic regulations by motor users.
It said the motorbike dealers could influence the buying of a helmet by making it compulsory for anyone who went to buy a motorbike and therefore solicited their support in that direction to help reduce the rate of road crashes and deaths in the region.
Mr Obed Gyammera Antwi, the Upper West Regional Planning Manager of the NRSA, said this in Wa during a meeting with members of the Motor Dealers Association and the leadership of the Cambuu Riders Association in the region to court their support in ensuring road traffic regulation compliance.
Available data from the NRSA indicated that from January to September this year, a total of 72 cases of road crashes were recorded with 123 injuries and 32 deaths.
Mr Antwi appealed to the motorbike sellers to constantly advise people who bought the motorbikes from them to buy a helmet as well as insure their motorbikes.
“We called you here to discuss with you so that when anyone comes to buy a motorbike you can advise the person to buy a crash helmet in addition and get the person to register with the DVLA”, he explained.
Mr Antwi indicated that the authority was conducting road safety education through the radio, mosques, and churches and stressed the need for the motor dealers to also support the education.
Mr Kwame Owusu Abrokwa, the Upper West Regional Head of the NRSA, a lot of sensitisation on the road traffic regulation had gone down and that they would soon go on operation on the streets to enforce the regulations.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Paul Boabeng Donkor, the Upper West Regional Commander, Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD, observed that a lot of motorbikes on the streets of Wa had not been registered.
He said that was illegal as the laws of the country required that every motor must be duly registered, insured, and licensed before accessing the road.
Mr Jonas Kansaabayel, an Ophthalmic Nurse at Maalu Vision Opticals, an eye clinic in Wa, observed that poor vision of drivers was a major cause of road crashes in the country.
He explained that some drivers had eye problems such as Glaucoma which led to poor vision and stressed the need for drivers and their mates to go through regular eye screening to ensure they were fit to drive.
Mr Saboggu Salifu, the Chairman of the Cambuu (tricycles) Riders Association in Wa, appealed to the MTTD to take action against minors who ride tricycles and said they were contributing to the accident cases in Wa.
He said the involvement of minors in the tricycle business was also a source of concern to them because “It causes children to drop out of school and when there is no work for them to do in the future, they become criminals and worry all of us.”
The motor dealers thanked the NRSA for engaging them and pledged to play their part to support the authority in enforcing the road regulations.
Representatives of the State Insurance Company, and Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority who attended the meeting organised by the NRSA as part of its road safety campaign, also took turns to address the participants.
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