NRSA urges drivers to comply with speed limits
By Christabel Oboshie ANNAN & Zeenatu ABUBAKAR, Accra
The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has launched its 2023 Christmas Road Safety Campaign in Accra to ensure safety on the roads during the festive season.
The campaign, dubbed ‘Stop Speeding, Stay Alive,’ aims to enhance public awareness, particularly among drivers, urging them to cease reckless driving and safeguard the lives of other road users at risk.
It also aims to ensure a safer and more responsible road environment for everyone during the yuletide, as part of efforts to reduce fatalities on the road
The Director-General of NRSA, Ing. David Osafo Adonteng, issued a stern warning to all road users, emphasizing that nobody has the right to exhibit lawlessness or misconduct on the roads, undermining others’ right to road space.
He highlighted that excessive speeding remains the most prevalent contributing factor to road crashes, accounting for over 60 percent of all fatal crashes in Ghana.
By emphasizing the consequences of speeding—resulting in numerous crashes, injuries, and fatalities—he stressed the need for concerted efforts to reverse this trend and preserve human life.
“This necessitates collaborative engagement from all road safety stakeholders and a behavioral shift towards road usage,” he said.
Furthermore, he noted that excessive speeding stands as the primary cause of fatal crashes globally and in Ghana.
Ing. Adonteng advised ensuring a reduction in travel speeds in adherence to maximum speed limit laws and regulations is crucial.
He announced a comprehensive outreach plan focusing on educating road users, engaging transport operators, religious congregations, and implementing coordinated enforcement activities.
“Adhering to specific speed limits such as 90kph on highways, 50kph in towns and settlements, 30kph in schools and crowded areas, and 100kph on the motorway, will be the primary focus of our outreach activities for this year’s Christmas road safety campaign” he explained.
He added that his outfit will make it challenging, if not impossible, for any driver or rider to engage in excessive speeding on the roads.
Additionally, the Director – General highlighted plans to leverage technology, such as the automated enforcement system ‘Traffitech-GH (PIEAW),’ to detect and penalize speed and red-light violations during the festive season.
Ing. Adonteng emphasized that while the Christmas season is a time for celebration and family, it’s imperative to prioritize safety on the roads.
He further urged all road users, particularly drivers, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians, to adhere strictly to traffic laws and regulations.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Godfred Abulbire, said the his outfit would play its role well to ensure that all bus terminals complied with safety measures to avoid accidents.
He mentioned that they’ve enlisted a consultant to assist in installing speed limiters on GPRTU vehicles.
Additionally, he emphasized that it will be mandatory for all cars operating within a 50-kilometer radius to have speed limiters installed.
