By Philip Tengzu
Wa, Dec. 19, GNA – The Upper West Regional office of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) says from January to August 2022, 67 road crushes with 25 deaths and 51 injuries, involving tricycles, were recorded in the region.
Wrongful overtaking, use of unapproved lamps, overloading, non-observance of road signs, and drunk- driving were some of the common causes of the accidents.
It has, therefore, intensified sensitisation on safety on the roads ahead of the yuletide as part of measures to prevent accidents that usually characterised the Christmas festivities.
Mr Abdul Fatwu Sidik of the Regional office, NRSA, urged the Tricycle (Cambuu) Operators Association to observe the safety regulations and road signs to avert the rampant crashes recorded in the region.
The sensitisation programme was jointly organised by the NRSA, the National Insurance Commission, the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Other stakeholders included the Narcotics Control Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, Wa Municipal Assembly, and traditional authorities.
The programme was, among other things, to engage the tricycle operators to ensure sanity and avoid carnages on the road before, during, and after the yuletide.
Mr Sidik said: “We have intensified our road safety educational activities on blackspot roads in the region. We are also collaborating with the MTTD and DVLA to clamp down on the use of unapproved lamps and collaborating with the Wa Municipal Assembly to clamp down on unauthorised stations and wrongful parking”.
The Authority was also engaging the traditional authorities in the region to intensify adherence to road safety regulations.
Mr Frederick Boakye-Yiadom, the Upper West Regional Assistant Manager, National Insurance Commission, urged the Cambuu owners and operators to insure them to help protect the lives of passengers and other road users.
He said third-party motor insurance was compulsory by law in Ghana and refusal by the owners and operators to insure their tricycles was against the law.
“In Ghana, there are some insurances that are compulsory and one of them is third-party motor insurance,” he said.
“Motor insurance for third-party is not just to protect pedestrians or passengers but to also protect the owner or driver of the vehicle from third-party liabilities when it involves in an accident such as bodily injury and death”.
Mr Boakye-Yiadom explained that a percentage of all motor insurance premiums went to the Motor Compensation Fund established by the NIC to compensate persons who suffered injuries.
It also supports the dependents of persons who die in a motor accident and are unable to obtain compensation from an insurance company because their motors were either not insured or their insurances were expired.
On claims payment, Mr Boakye-Yiadom allayed the fears of the tricycle operators and said the insurance companies paid genuine claims.
He explained that the only case in which insurance companies “do not pay claims is when the driver of the vehicle does not have insurance, a valid license, or the vehicle’s road-worthy certificate is expired.”
He urged participants who may experience undue delays in claims processing to report to the NIC for redress.
GNA