A towing vehicle at work
When big minds doubling as visionaries make thoughtful decisions, there are always the little minds buzzing around blurting out their negativities in the hope of derailing the noble decisions so made.
Little-minded persons are unworthy of any important decision taking and are unfit to rule a nation or else, they will take the nation into a socio-economic ditch.
I am putting out this publication following the midday news broadcast by Kwabena Marfo and one of the popular female newscasters at Okay FM of the Despite Media or Despite Group of Companies, on Wednesday, 7 July 2021.
They were announcing a fatal lorry accident that had occurred on the road near Suhum in the Eastern region. Over four passengers had died on the spot with some critically wounded. The critically ill had been taken to hospital, they said.
They were blaming a certain road-safety-towing-van or truck driver residing in Suhum. They claimed over thirty people they had interviewed said when the driver was contacted, he refused to go and tow a broken-down vehicle on the road until a passenger car or bus drove into it, causing a fatal accident.
They asserted how could the driver who was granting a live interview to them be right while all the thirty people phoning into their studio accusing the towing driver of habitual negligence of duty be wrong?
The newscasters were in doubt about the credibility of the towing truck driver when he said although he was contacted, the people never came back when he suggested to them to first contact the police before he could go and tow the broken-down vehicle.
The newscasters then phoned up to a Police Superintendent in Suhum to confirm the veracity of the assertions being made by the towing truck driver.
In a nutshell, it turned out that the driver was telling the truth. The Police Superintendent said the government does not operate any towing services.
It is only private individuals that are operating towing services hence it is out of their goodwill if they chose to go and tow a broken-down vehicle.
No one can force them to do it, however, they often co-operate with the police to get broken-down vehicles towed to places of safety to avoid unnecessary road accidents.
When the NPP government of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo wanted to pass a law for the state to operate a national towing service, the NDC as little minds, opportunists and devious as usual, instigated the drivers unions in the nation to oppose it.
The cars were going to pay a small yearly fee in a form of add-on road tax. This fee could have easily been passed on to passengers with the private car owners bearing the full cost. It was so small a fee, nonetheless, the NDC as stupidly populist and scheming to come back to power by hook or by crook as they often are, and with many a Ghanaian being naïve, they were able to incite the nationwide drivers to reject the government’s proposal.
As Ghanaians insanely wield the most dangerous threatening weapon of, “we shall not vote for you”, the government was compelled to abort the plan. If there were government-sanctioned operating towing trucks/vans, a towing driver would have no reason to refuse to go and tow a broken-down vehicle on the road.
The Suhum driver said, at times when he goes to tow a car, the owner categorically refuses to pay him once the service is rendered. On other occasions, the vehicles he goes to tow end up being stolen cars hence the need to always operate through the police.
Broken-down vehicles on our roads have always been a cause of lorry accidents. This is an undeniable fact that only the NDC bunch of criminals can dispute.
In England, as very reasonable and farsighted their drivers are, almost every driver pays a yearly car breakdown cover fee with AA, Green Flag, GEM or RAC. The fee does not go beyond £100.00 but ranges between £59.00 and £85.00.
You have peace of mind for the whole year without worrying about where your car breaks down, when and how. The towing cum repair companies will be there within minutes to assist you.
As their service is nationwide, broken-down vehicles are not often found on their roads obstructing traffic or causing fatal accidents unlike in Ghana.
Let me quote the following to better explain and enlighten my fellow Ghanaians back home on the importance of paying a small fee to have your car attended to when it breaks down on the road.
“What services do the AA provide?
"What does AA breakdown cover include"?
· 24/7 cover for breakdowns over 1/4 mile from home.
· A tow to a nearby garage if we can't fix your vehicle at the roadside.
· Unlimited call-outs.
· If you have an accident, we'll be there to support you with Accident Assist.
“The RAC aim to reach their customers in 40 minutes while the AA doesn't quote an average response time. The RAC have the highest number of patrols per member while the AA have the highest number in total.”
With this national recovery service in place, accidents caused by broken-down vehicles on roads are minimal, if not non-existent, on British roads.
I recommend that we go for the programs and policies suggested by the big minds to save lives and to put Ghana on a sound developmental pedestal.
Should we always fall for the populist, short-sighted and corrupt views and suggestions by the NDC, Ghanaians will suffer regrettable but permanently occurring fatal accidents and other related problems.