Accra: Mr Abraham Amaliba, the Director General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has advocated for stricter penalties for drivers involved in negligent driving. He emphasized that harsher punishments could lead to a reduction in road traffic crashes attributed to driver negligence and contribute to safer roads.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Amaliba shared these insights during an interview on an Accra-based radio station. He highlighted that from January to December 2024, a total of 13,489 road traffic crashes were recorded, resulting in 2,494 fatalities and injuries to 15,607 individuals. Additionally, 2,394 pedestrians were struck during this period, leading to 590 deaths.
Mr Amaliba acknowledged factors such as inadequate road markings, insufficient street lighting, and pedestrian misconduct as contributors to these crashes. However, he pinpointed driver indiscipline as the primary cause of the accidents. He urged for negligent driving to be treated as a severe offense, with stringent punishments to serve as a deterrent.
He explained that not all accidents are unavoidable, and many are due to negligence by either drivers or pedestrians. Mr Amaliba stressed the need for drivers to be held accountable for their responsibilities to prevent such incidents.
In his commitment to addressing the issue, Mr Amaliba announced his engagement with stakeholders like the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Ghana Highways Authority, Department of Urban Roads, and Road Safety Services Limited. He aims to enhance service delivery and improve road safety.
Meetings with the highways authority and urban roads are part of his strategy to ensure all road sector players enhance their performance. He also mentioned the reintroduction of the Legislative Instrument (L.I) on Road Traffic (Amendment) Regulations to Parliament. This L.I., modified to exclude controversial provisions and include regulations for commercial motor riders, aims to impose spot fines on drivers who flout traffic regulations.
