Sunyani (B/R), Oct. 01, GNA – The Bono Regional Office of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has set-up a taskforce for strict enforcement of approved and standard lights on vehicles to curtail road crashes on accident-prone roads in the region.
The taskforce comprised the NRSA, Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA), Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and Transport Unions including; Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL).
Other members include; Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), OA Transport and IO Ampofo Transport.
Regulation 65 of the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2081, 2012 requires all commercial vehicles in the country to use approved head and fog lights certified by the DVLA.
According to the Authority, the use of unapproved lights on vehicles was partly contributing to rising cases of road accidents on major highways in the country.
Mr. Kwasi Agyenim Boateng, the Bono Regional Head of the NRSA who disclosed this said the taskforce would from October 4, this year commence the enforcement exercise on major highways and accident prone roads in the region.
He was speaking at a stakeholders and sensitization meeting on the Regulation 65 organised by the Authority in Sunyani was attended by commercial drivers, the MTTD, DVLA and transport unions.
Mr. Boateng said the Authority had intensified public education in bus terminals and lorry stations in the region to create awareness before the enforcement exercise, saying offending drivers would be prosecuted.
“It is important to create awareness for drivers and the public to understand and comply with the regulations because any driver who flouts the regulation would not have any justification, but be made to face the full rigours of the law”, he stated.
Mr Boateng said many of the accidents and fatalities that occurred on the highways were avoidable because human errors remained the major contributory factor to crashes on the roads.
He said particularly commercial drivers and vehicle owners who would be found wanting would be liable to 25 penalty units, or imprisonment not less than 30 days or both.
Police Superintendent Stephen Tenkorang, the Bono Regional Commander of the MTTD warned the taskforce would not spare any offending driver, and advised them to study and get themselves abreast with the Regulation and accordingly comply with it.
GNA