Stories by Bernice Bessey & Pictures, Eric Owiredu
Pedestrians and motorists are losing their protection due to the irresponsible attitude of drivers which has led to the destruction of roadside crash railings and traffic lights on some major highways in the Accra metropolis. An area like Carprice, on the Circle-Nsawam Highway, is one place that has suffered these poor attitudes and behaviours of drivers.
Information gathered by the Accra File indicates that most of these railings and traffic lights have been destroyed for close to a year, but the city authorities remain blind to them.
According to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), poor attitudes and behaviours such as drivers talking/texting on mobile phones while driving, fatigue, and gross indiscipline are the major causes of road accidents in the country. According to nearby residents, most of the drivers run into the railings and traffic lights at night while drunk or over-speeding. A nearby resident, Nartey Armah, wondered whether “the drivers have little sense of responsibility on the road, or deserve to have licenses.”
Mr. Armah thinks reckless driving is a result of drivers who do not have in-depth knowledge about driving, or didn’t enroll themselves in driving schools. “They just drive and do not understand traffic regulations. Others also just ignore them, and as a result, end up causing carnage on our roads. It’s just that they don’t prioritise safety and responsibility, and may actually be people who are not worth to drive on our roads.”
The Accra File is calling on the Ministry of Roads and Highways to attend to these crash railings as soon as they are damaged by these drivers.The Ministry should also compel the drivers to pay for repairs to the railings when they damage them.