By Angela Ayimbire
Tema, Sept. 20, GNA – Mr Tonny Dickson Afriford, a Road Crash and Injury Prevention Analyst has revealed that the enforcement of road traffic regulations is most often hindered by people who occupy high power positions.
He described the interferences as a worrying trend that makes it difficult for officers to enforce the laws to the later, explaining that Ghana just like other African countries practices the human-to-human enforcement, which paves the way for offenders, politicians, religious leaders, and traditional leaders to intercede on their behalf.
“Political interference is becoming too much, when you insist on prosecuting the offenders, you will be victimized so you are forced to let the offender off the hook,” Mr. Afriford stated at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office and Tema Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service MTTD road accident prevention platform.
The GNA-Tema and the MTTD-Tema Road accident platform aimed at providing continuous education to stakeholders on the need to be cautious on the road and adhere to all road safety regulations.
Mr Afriford called on politicians, and other people in authority to desist from the act of interceding on behalf of offenders as such interferences empower recalcitrant drivers or criminal elements to do the wrong things.
He also called MTTD investigators to assist road crash victims to claim insurance compensations available to them, stressing that most victims of road crashes do not pursue such compensations because of the numerous frustrations put on their way sometimes by Investigators.
He noted that it was the duty of the investigators to help and follow up on the victims as well as get them the needed report to aid in the processing of their claims and compensation.
“But the frustration in getting the report makes most victims or their dependents give up because the report takes a long time to be ready, the MTTD has a long way to go towards this direction,” he said.
Mr. Afriford stated that victims of road crashes are not to pay for reports to claim their compensations stressing that, “MTTD officials are not to take money from victims or their dependents in order to prepare the report, the MTTD is also required to give victims the report in the shortest possible time.”
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency said the Tema-MTTD Road Safety Campaign project seeks to actively create consistent and systematic weekly awareness advocacy on the need for road users to be cautious on the road to enable the country to curb the rising increase in road crashes.
Mr Ameyibor also called for attitudinal change on the road noting that among the many causes of road crashes, carelessness by drivers, and other road users was a big challenge that contributed to road accidents.
He, therefore, called on the public to collaborate with public institutions especially the MTTD, DVLA, the National Road Safety Authority, and other bodies to make the road safe for all.
GNA