By Angela Ayimbire
Tema, July 19, GNA – Mr. Francis Johnny Amegayibor, a former board member of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), has stressed routine vehicle maintenance for traffic safety and to avoid crashes.
He said routine vehicle maintenance, in addition to the defensive driving that all motorists were supposed to practice, was one of the best strategies to reduce traffic accidents.
This would help to prevent vehicles from intermittently breaking down, malfunctioning, or failing their systems while moving.
Speaking at the Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency Road Safety Campaign platform, Mr. Amegayibor, a former Treasurer of the Ghana Automobile Distribution Association (GADA), said everyone had a role to play in preventing traffic accidents.
He said while you might stay on top of your car’s repairs and upkeep, you have no control over how other drivers maintain their vehicles or operate them safely, that is why there is always the need for defensive driving.
To minimize breakdowns of vehicles that could result in fatal road incidents, as has been observed throughout time, he said it was important for all drivers to make sure that their automobiles were serviced correctly when due.
“The culture of car maintenance in this country is very bad,” he added, stressing that drivers’ disregard for vehicle maintenance was a worrisome trend and one of the main factors in the number of accidents around the nation.
For instance, he noted that brakes were a crucial component of a car that prevented collisions, and that depending on the type of vehicle, it was important to ensure routine maintenance, which included keeping an eye out for warning lights on the dashboard that indicated brake fluid leaks and low brake pedal resistance, among other things.
The failure to maintain vehicle tyres could result in serious blowouts and loss of vehicle control, which could lead to serious car accidents, according to Mr. Amegayibor, a private businessman.
He added that old tyres, under-inflated tyres, and overinflated tyres had all contributed to some of the fatalities that had been reported over the years and encouraged drivers to be aware of their vehicle’s Pound Per Square Inch (PSI) placard, located inside the driver’s door, and to make sure the vulcanizers they hire inflate their cars to the proper pressure levels.
The media, according to Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency are a crucial part of the national campaign for road safety and of a larger initiative to raise public awareness of and encourage adherence to road safety legislation.
GNA