Tema, July 26, GNA – The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has called on the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to take road safety education to companies and established institutions.
Mr Abraham Koomson, the GFL Secretary-General, made the call at the Ghana News Agency and the Tema Regional Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD)’s Road-Safety Campaign Platform, which was aimed at using various personalities to reach out to their members with the need to contribute to making Ghana’s roads safe for all users.
He observed that issues of road traffic crashes affected companies and labour in diverse ways as it deprived not only organizations but the country of the needed experienced manpower.
Mr Koomson said the NRSA must meet with the various management of organizations to draw a plan for them to engage workers and company drivers on their responsibilities to make the road safe.
He said it was not enough for officials of the NRSA to embark on radio and television education as there was the need to also take it closer to the companies, adding that most company drivers did not go to refresher courses on driving after acquiring their licenses and gaining employment.
Mr Koomson also asked company drivers to take responsibility for their safety and that of the staff by ensuring that the vehicles they used were in proper shape and drawing management’s attention to any mechanical or electrical issues and other faults that needed to be fixed before conveying workers.
“As a former transport officer of a company, I don’t move a car even when I have problems with my mirror how much more tyres, brakes, I will tell you I won’t drive until it is fixed,” he recalled.
He also urged unions to develop an interest in the types and state of transport provided to workers to ensure that members’ lives were not cut short due to avoidable road traffic crashes.
On his part, Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency, said the need for creating the Tema-GNA-MTTD road safety campaign was born out of the ever-increasing figures of road traffic crashes and their associated consequences.
Mr Ameyibor added that it was also aimed at using prominent persons in society to speak to their constituents on the need to keep safe on the road as drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, among others.
Mr Ameyibor said the media were important components of the national road safety campaign and part of a broader effort to increase public awareness of road safety rules and regulations.
GNA