MTTD to deploy accident prevention squad

The Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service (MTTD) says it will deploy accident prevention squad to accident-prone areas to curb the menace following some fatal accidents in the country. 

The latest accident which occurred on the Kintampo-Tamale highway on Monday dawn, March 9, 2020, claimed 30 lives with 27 of them burnt beyond recognition.

In response to this, the head of Education Research and Training of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Alexander Obeng in an interview on Starr FM today said the department is going to deploy its accident prevention squad on various roads in the country to conduct inspections.

''For us what is also important is that we go beyond this and ensure that strategically we will deploy our accident prevention squad to be on the highway particularly during the day in certain instances stop such vehicles, inspect what we need to inspect on those vehicles and allow the drivers to proceed. In that way, the drivers will have alighted, stretched a bit and would have been asked certain questions, even if the driver is feeling a bit sleepy, would have gotten over it''.

Superintendent Alexander Obeng also said there is a need for a review in registering and regulating the work to drivers to ensure compliance with road safety regulations.

''These are things we will also do to assist, however, the best approach is to have an institutional framework that will also assist for transport operators to regulate and also to have certain devices in such vehicles to support such enforcement,'' he added.

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The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) on its part has called for an all hands on deck approach in reducing carnages on our roads.

Meanwhile, statistics proved that in January 2020 over 200 people have lost their lives as a result of road accidents in the country.