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NRSC to establish academy for
drivers - Gidisu
Accra, March 26, Ghanadot/GNA – The National
Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is to establish a National Drivers
Academy to train professionals for the transport industry as a
means of curbing road crashes.
Mr. Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways, said the
framework had already been put together and it was aimed at
training and equipping individuals interested in that sector
with the skills and professional competence.
Mr Gidisu, speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday,
also added that, the Ministry had finalized a review of the Road
Traffic Regulations, which when parliament approved would help
to curb current problems in the sector.
He said a meeting with stakeholders identified key contributory
factors to crashes as: high speed, fatigue, tyre burst, wrongful
overtaking, and disabled vehicles left unattended to as well as
unsafe vehicles, among others.
“It has also been noted that crashes involving vehicles
transporting hazardous goods are increasingly contributing to
the deaths,” Mr. Gidisu added.
He noted that the NRSC and the MTTU had been authorized to
engage the services of Rutchen Trucks, Ghana, to tow disabled
and broken down vehicles especially on the Accra-Kumasi and
Accra-Takoradi corridor.
“Commercial transport operators are being encouraged to put in
place some internal control mechanisms to help avoid these
crashes. All transport terminals are to embark on pre-departure
checks.”
Mr. Gidisu noted that the MTTU had also adopted strategies to
enforce regulations especially at crash-prone highways adding,
“The road task force must intensify its road check duties and
this should include representatives of transport operators.”
He said the Ministry would provide basic devices to driver
unions to check speed limits, alcohol levels as well as
equipping some hospitals to deal effectively with accident
related cases.
Mr Gidisu therefore, charged all drivers to belong to a union,
called for strong collaboration between NADMO, Ghana Army and
the National Ambulance Service among others to strengthen
emergency response services.
GNA |
