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General news for Sunday, October 4, 2020
Source: Peace FM
2020-10-04
Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah
Ghana has lost almost 10% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in recent years due to traffic accidents, said the Minister of Transport, H.E. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah has revealed.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority indicate that road accidents cost the West African nation 1.6% of annual GDP, which translates to approximately US $ 165 million per year.
This means that over the six years, Ghana has lost 9.6% of its GDP, which is equivalent to some US $ 990 million to fix road traffic injuries and related issues.
This amount of money, according to the Transport Minister, is so large that it could have been saved to finance some projects in other sectors of the economy.
Target stakeholders in the launch of this year’s national road safety campaign called ‘Arrive Alive’ or ‘Kodru Dwodwoo’ and the launch of a DVLA office, as well as the presentation of Quality Transport Services at a event in Takoradi, in the western region, on Thursday in October. February 1, 2020, H.E. Asiamah asked for collaboration in the fight against traffic accidents in the country.
“When you look at the statistics on how we are losing, the GDP that we lose due to accidents is almost 10%, why? And most of these accidents could have been avoided if we had had a little patience. So please, car owners, drivers, let’s drive well and get our passengers to their different destinations safely, ”she said.
Women who lose their husbands
According to Transportes, more women are losing their husbands to traffic accidents, a situation that, he said, should be avoided immediately.
“Out of every 100 traffic accidents, only two will be female drivers. The remaining 98 are men because women are very patient when they drive. It is difficult to see a woman drunk and driving. When you drink and drive, you will die on the road. So please, let’s be careful when we hit the road, ”he said.
She added: “Many women are losing their husbands as a result of traffic accidents. Now, we have few men around, so I will beg you to be cautious along the way so that you continue to live, marry the women and take good care of them so that the country benefits from you. But if you drive carelessly and get involved in an accident and don’t return home, women will no longer get men to marry so they can start having children. “
Arrive Alive comes to life
The Arrive Alive ‘or’ Kodru Dwodwoo ‘road safety campaign is an ambitious project that seeks to warn road users about the need to observe all road safety measures while on the road.
The overall objective is to minimize levels of indiscipline among road users, policy makers and implementers by educating the general public to adopt safe road use practices while in traffic as drivers , pedestrians, passengers, motorcyclists, tricyclists or cyclists, as well as advocating for the elimination of laxity associated with road safety.
The Director General of the National Road Safety Authority, Eng. May Obiri-Yeboah, commenting on the campaign, said the statistics on the massacre on the country’s highway paint a grim picture, urging everyone to help turn things around. .
“In fact, road transport remains the main mode of transportation in Ghana, but he noted that safety on our roads has become a key challenge in our country, although road accidents and the resulting casualties are preventable. We are aware that these crashes have resulted in current incidents of fatalities and serious injuries that should have been avoided if precautions had been taken. From January to August of this year (2020), we registered a total of 9,205 crashes that resulted in 1,585 deaths, 1,638 pedestrian accidents, 9,397 injuries that involved 15,459 vehicles ”, he revealed.
According to her, preliminary investigations into some of the crashes indicate that non-compliance with road safety regulations by road users was one of the main causes of these incidents.
He expressed the conviction that the increase in the number of traffic accidents in the country will stimulate a constructive national conversation on the urgent need to improve the discipline of road users and a greater political commitment to prevent accidents.
“Today when we launch the ‘Arrive Alive’ or ‘Kodru Dwodwoo’ campaign, we do so with the best results in the belief that with the proper collaboration of key stakeholders, we can stop the carnage on our roads. Traffic accidents and the resulting injuries have no respect for people. We will all be at risk if we continue to do business as usual and ignore the basis of safety practices. I urge all of us to play our role as road users, always attentive to our own safety and that of other road users, “he stressed.
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