By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Dec. 24, GNA – ZEN Petroleum Limited, in partnership with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has launched the “Safe Drive” Campaign to promote responsible driving and reduce road traffic crashes.
The campaign, officially unveiled at a media launch in Accra on Tuesday, will deploy strategically positioned highway billboards along the Accra–Kumasi and Accra–Tarkwa corridors, two of the country’s busiest roads.
Organisers said the six-month campaign would cover the December and Easter festive seasons, which typically record high crash incidents.
They added that the billboards would be located where they did not obstruct drivers’ vision, with brief, easily understood messages displayed in English and Pidgin English, supported by on-ground sensitisation in local languages.
Mr Prince Awuley, Retail Director of ZEN Petroleum, said the initiative reflected the company’s belief that road safety was a shared responsibility.
He noted that “every year thousands of lives are affected by incidents that are largely preventable. Road traffic incidents affect not just individuals but families, communities and the national economy.”
Mr, Awuley expressed gratitude to the NRSA for its partnership and technical guidance and commended the media for amplifying road safety messages.
He added that the campaign aimed to reinforce responsible driving, increase public awareness of road safety practices, and demonstrate how public-private collaboration could deliver social impact, urging motorists to “drive responsibly, stay alert, and obey traffic regulations,” adding that “every safe decision on the road matters.”
Mr Alexander A. Ayatah, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at NRSA, described the partnership as timely and critical, disclosing that Ghana recorded 13,320 road traffic crashes between January and November this year, compared to 12,417 over the same period last year, a seven per cent increase.
He said 2,673 people died, an 18.5 per cent rise, while injuries increased from 14,358 to 15,173.
Mr Ayatah cautioned that “on a daily basis, between six and eight people die on our roads. None of us is immune. It could be you or me,” and called on private sector actors, media, religious bodies, and community leaders to act as road safety ambassadors.
He noted that crashes cost Ghana about 1.6 per cent of GDP, describing the losses as unacceptable.
Alhaji Mohammed Tanko, National President of the Ghana National Cargo Transport Association, said unhealthy competition among drivers often led to reckless driving and that many drivers operated outside recognised transport unions, making regulation difficult.
He called for stricter punishment for offenders, especially those driving under the influence, and assured the NRSA and ZEN Petroleum of his organisation’s readiness to collaborate to curb crashes.
The Safe Drive Campaign is expected to raise public awareness, reinforce positive driving behaviour, support national road safety efforts, and demonstrate the effectiveness of public-private partnerships in addressing national safety challenges.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey