Deputy Minister for Transport, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, has called on Insurance companies to use a portion of their proceeds to support the advocacy on road safety spearheaded by the National Road Safety Commission.
To aid in the fight against road accidents, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover suggested that insurers include the activism to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
His plea comes on the back of the recent statistics on road accidents.
The Minister disclosed that as at April this year, about 4,898 accidents occurred in the country claiming over 700 lives.
Meanwhile, a little over 1000 pedestrians also had their share of such unfortunate occurrences.
Giving a break down figure of the age ranges of “productive” individuals who have perished as a result of preventable accidents, he said the age brackets of these accidents are between 16 and 35.
He further disclosed that 70% of the victims were male while 30% were females.
The Minister, therefore, referred to the situation as a major concern for the president, government, as well as individual citizens.
Also, explaining the reason men were at a higher risk of being victims of motor accidents, he stated that women are always “careful” while using the roads unlike men who do not usually obey traffic regulations.
“I keep saying that, the best driver on the road is not the one who goes speeding it is the one who respects every road traffic regulations on our road. It is a fact that women are the best drivers on our roads. We need to applaud the women,” he said.
As a motorist himself, he indicated that the statistics are so scary, hence the need for advocacies and education on road safety.
He bemoaned that commercial drivers, especially, are the main culprits when it comes to accidents on the roads as they flout road safety rules through unnecessary over taking, over speeding to make the most sales and impress their vehicle owners.
“Every day I’m on the motor-way coming to work. I keep praying. And sometimes you see some of these commercial drivers totally impatient because of the pressure they have from their car owners. The sales targets. So they are compelled. And sometimes the way they drive on our roads is a major concern to all of us,” Titus-Glover lamented.
He added that, “Majority of your clients, I can say are either transport owners or drivers. I mean if the accidents are less, you pay less premium. So I want to appeal to you. Support National Road Safety in their educational drive.”
