Pedestrians are major victims of road accidents in Ghana - National Road Safety Authority

The National Road Safety Authority has stated that majority of victims that fall prey to road accidents in the country are pedestrians.

According to the authority, pedestrian walkways have been occupied by hawkers which forces them to walk by the roadside to compete with the vehicles which most times results in road accidents.  

Speaking on Asempa FM today, head of communications of the NRSC, Kwame Kodua Atuahene said hawkers will soon be sanctioned for hawking on pedestrian walkways to avert accidents in the country

''In reality, looking at the numbers who die through road accidents the majority of them are pedestrians. The pedestrian has to use the pedestrian walkway but cannot because hawkers have taken over the walkway such a person has no choice but walk at the edges of the road and these often result in accidents. A time is coming when pedestrian walkways will be restricted from hawkers and if they don't abide by it certain sanctions will be applied''.

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On his part, a victim of an accident that occurred 10 years ago at the particular spot of Tuesday's accident, Dr Richard Ayiku, who happens to be a chancellor at the Dominion Bible Institute called on the government to construct dual carriage roads to avert accidents in the country

''I will like to emphasize on the dual carriage road because it will prevent a lot of accidents. Its the number one solution to road accidents. We want to ask those in authority to work hard and enlarge our roads. If it happens someone will lose the building on the road its fair enough because looking at the number of people who die through accidents, if we check the statistics, majority of these accidents are as a result of head-on collisions. The government should find the money to enlarge our roads''. 

This follows the gory crash that occurred at Dompoase, near Komenda Junction on Tuesday dawn which resulted in the death of thirty-four (34) persons including, a baby. The crash also left 59 others with deep cuts and broken bones.

The accident involved two high-occupancy buses, one of the buses was travelling from Takoradi to Accra with registration number GR 5704-18 and the other with registration number GN 3780-10 in the opposite direction.

The Takoradi-bound bus tried an overtaking but in the attempt collided with the opposite bus.

READ ALSO: National Road Safety Authority begins probe into Dompoase accident