By Laudia Sawer
Tema, March 28, GNA – Mr. Tony Dickson Afriford, the Executive Director of the Green and Safer Mobility Foundation, has called for the restructuring of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate of the Ghana Police Service as a measure to reduce road crashes in Ghana.
Mr. Afriford, in an engagement with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tema, said even though some reduction was seen in the reported road crashes in 2024 compared to that of 2023, more needed to be done to stop the carnage on the roads.
The provisional report from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) indicated that 13,489 cases were reported between January and December 2024, compared to 14,135 in 2023.
The statistics also recorded an increase in persons killed, from 2,494 in 2024 as against 2,276 in 2023, while 2,395 pedestrian knockdowns were seen last year compared to the 2,559 in 2023.
Mr. Afriford, who is a Road Crash and Injury Prevention Analyst, indicated that the MTTD played a very significant role in reducing road crashes and therefore needed to be well-resourced and its leadership properly structured.
“The new IGP should restructure the MTTD, reorient the officers, and provide body cameras for them when going on the road to properly enforce the traffic regulations, among others,” he said.
He further advised the IGP to appoint Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) to head the various regional MTTD offices to boost the morale of officers and help promote discipline among officers.
He explained that with such ranks, they have the needed experience and authority to help reform the officers under them, adding that it would also give confidence to officers on the roads to enforce the laws, as they would have backing from higher authority in their region of operation.
Touching on other measures, he said there must be strict enforcement by the various agencies, such as the NRSA, without political, religious or traditional interference.
He added the NRSA must have the needed government support to carry out their responsibility of educating the public on road and traffic offences while discharging its regulatory mandates.
The road crash and injury prevention analyst also urged various transport unions to have eagle eyes on their members, commending the Ashaiman Cooperative Society and the Kekeli Union at the Tema Motorway Interchange for ensuring discipline among their members and sanctioning recalcitrant drivers.
GNA
LS/BM