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Eighty-nine percent (89%) of persons who have died as a result of road accidents in the Upper East Region from January 2023 to October 2023 were involved in motorcycle accidents, according to the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in the Region.
Speaking to Bolgatanga-based Dreamz FM recently, Mr John Quashire Ameglah of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) stated that 89% of all the deaths from road traffic accidents were persons riding motorcycles.
“When you look at the persons killed, 55. Motorbikes alone contributed to 89 percent of the deaths. Commercial contributed 6 percent and then private vehicles contributed 5 percent of these deaths. So as a region, it is a worry. How can it be that motorbikes carrying at most 1 pillion rider are the leading contributor to our figures in the region?” He lamented.
Mr Ameglah noted that public education and sensitization as well as enforcement of the law will help reduce road traffic accidents to the barest minimum if it is not eradicated.
The NRSA, he explained, has been doing its bid, despite its constraints, to reduce accidents and make our roads safer. He expressed optimism that with new strategies being put in place, the NRSA will succeed in its mandate.
Motorbikes are, arguably, the most used means of transport in the Upper East Region, especially in rural areas where cars are few. Even though the use of motorbikes(except tricycles) for commercial purposes has not taken root, its use for private purposes is ever increasing.