Disregard for road traffic regulations by drivers of heavy duty vehicles has attracted the displeasure of local drivers and residents in cocoa growing
Disregard for road traffic regulations by drivers of heavy duty vehicles has attracted the displeasure of local drivers and residents in cocoa growing communities in the Asunafo North Municipality and Asunafo North District of Brong-Ahafo Region.
They registered their protest at separate road safety sensitisation fora organised by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Office of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) at Mim and Goaso in the Municipality and Kukuom in the Asunafo South District.
The residents said many of the heavy duty truck drivers who conveyed cocoa beans from the communities to urban centres were noted for reckless driving, a situation which is contributing to increasing road crashes and rampant pedestrian knockdowns.
They called on the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to intensify patrols on the Goaso-Kukuom and Goaso-Mim road to bring sanity in the environment.
A public transport driver at Mim, Stephen Ampaabeng said many of the heavy duty vehicles operating in the area were not road worthy but developed faults and easily get stuck on the road.
Some of the faulty vehicles could remain on the road for many days and create nuisance to other drivers, he said.
Mr Kwasi Agyenim Boateng, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Head of the NRSC, mentioned Sunyani-Goaso, Techiman-Kintampo, Atebubu-Yeji and Ejura-Atebubu highways as the major accident prone routes in the region.
He said the Commission has intensified road safety sensitisation and enforcement on those roads and advised drivers to reduce speed by driving within the maximum speed limit while observing road signs.
At Goaso, Mr Boateng advised the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to ensure that commercial vehicles were road worthy before drivers set off their journeys.
He said with the onset of the harmattan, the weather would not be favourable driving and urged drivers to always check their lighting systems, brakes and tyres prevention of crashes
Mr Boateng reminded the drivers on the need to wear seatbelts whenever they boarded any vehicle adding that passengers must check drivers against drunk-driving, over-speeding and wrongful over-taking for their safety.
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