Road safety is a collective responsibility – NRSA
The Volta Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority (NSRA), Ms Joana Fafa Ayer, has called on Ghanaians to consider road safety as a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, and should not leave it in the hands of drivers and law enforcement agencies alone.
Ms Ayer said passengers and drivers signed contract to transport them to their destinations and in the process passengers had the responsibilities to contribute meaningfully to a successful journey.
Speaking to The Ghanaian Times in Ho yesterday, she explained that passengers had the duty of advising drivers whose conducts could result in accident, and if the drivers refused passengers could report to the nearest police barrier.
Ms Ayer explained that with the coming of mobile phones, some drivers engaged in WhatsApp, Facebook, and making of calls while driving, practices she stressed could lead to accident and if the driver refused to stop upon several caution from passengers his conduct must be reported to the police.
She however, made it clear that drivers could also report passengers whose activities could lead to accident, citing passengers who urged drivers to over speed and overtake simply because they were late to meeting, office or a festival.
According to her, pedestrians who crossed the road with ear-phones listening to music and making calls while crossing the road violated road safety regulations and could be reported and arrested by the police.
Ms Ayer said drivers needed to cultivate the maintenance culture to replace weak and defective components of vehicles including lighting systems, since faulty vehicles caused road traffic accidents.
She said poor road environment such as lack of appropriate road signs and lack of road – marks contributed to accidents , saying road signs communicates to drivers on speed limits when approaching town, market, school, a curve, and a hill or hospital.
Ms Ayer disclosed that road traffic accidents had reduced in the Volta Region since 2024 to 2025 due to regular public education, and commended stakeholders for their cooperation and support.
She said 127 road traffic accidents were recorded in 2024, which involved 206 vehicles out of which 20 persons died, 93 sustained various degrees of injury, and 17 pedestrians knocked down within the period.
Ms Ayer continued that 124 road traffic accidents occurred in 2025 involving 201 vehicles, which led to the death of 28 person’s , 142 persons injured and 24 pedestrians were knocked down within the same period.
She said the first quarter of 2026 recorded 73 road traffic accidents, involving 119 vehicles, 19 person’s killed, 75 injured and 16 pedestrians knocked within the same period.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, HO
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