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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced plans to introduce speed control measures to prevent road traffic accidents in the metropolis.

The mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, disclosed this when he joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) – to remember the many millions killed and injured on our roads – at Abeka Lapaz, near Las Palmas Restaurant, in Accra on Sunday, November 19, 2017.

This special remembrance day is intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering, and also become an important tool for governments and those who work to prevent crashes or respond to the aftermath, since it offers the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road deaths and injuries and the urgent need for action.
He said the assembly, in collaboration with the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, National Road Safety Commission and other road agencies, would soon put in place speed control measures to reduce pedestrian and car collisions, especially at the Lapaz intersection of the George Walker Bush Highway (N1 Highway), to ensure the safety of both drivers and pedestrians.

"We are today standing at the location of change on the N1 Highway. Assessments on pedestrian numbers, traffic lights signal timings, kerb height and impacts on pedestrians, amongst other indicators of all road users’ safety, have been carried out. High-level discussions have also been concluded; all road agencies that have responsibilities for enhancing road safety have been concluded. Speed control measures to reduce pedestrian and car collisions at this Lapaz intersection will be introduced," he said.

Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah also noted that the assembly and the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD), with support from Bloomberg, would increase enforcement activities to deter drivers from drinking and driving during the festive season, adding that, "Motorbike riders and their passengers will not have free reign this Christmas to ride without their helmets and not obey traffic signals."

The mayor assured that the AMA and all partners would work hard to ensure that December 2017 to January 2018 would be the safest on the streets of Accra.

Mrs Eugenia May Obiri-Yeboah, Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, in a remark, said her outfit would intensify its educational campaigns on road safety, and urged other stakeholders to play their part to end the killing of innocent people on our roads.

“Each of us has a part to play. We from the National Road Safety Commission have a duty to educate all pedestrians and road users … even as we go out from here, our education would be intensified to ensure that people live to see 2018," she said.

Christine Evans-Klock, UN Ghana Resident Co-ordinator, urged the government to ensure that the necessary equipment and human resource are provided to enforce road traffic laws and rules to help reduce the number of casualties recorded on our roads.

"5% cut in how fast we drive can result in a 30% reduction in road traffic crashes fatalities. Traffic laws and rules exist; those with authority to enforce them need the equipment and manpower to do that job. We need to change a culture of complacency; we don’t have to accept that the roads are hazardous,” she said.

A one-minute silence was observed for all road traffic victims.