The Executive Director of the National
Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Ing. Noble John Appiah has led a team to visit
the scene of the road traffic crash that occurred on Friday November 16, 2012.
The crash occurred at Kogni near Bawa
Barracks on the Tamale-Bolgatanga Highway when a Bolga bound Metro Mass bus
reportedly collided head on with a GPRTU-operated Benz bus. His visit was to
ascertain first- hand information on the nature of the crash.
Preliminary investigations into the road
traffic crash suggests a failure of the road transport operational system to
comply with processes, procedures and road safety standards that guarantee
quality assurance given the state of the vehicles after the crash and the
surrounding circumstances of the crash.
The Commission appreciates the need for
systems to control potential risks that give rise to these avoidable and
needless deaths and have since July 2011 published standards for Commercial
Passenger Transport Operations pursuant to a directive from the Hon. Minister
of Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda (MP)
The NRSC has directed a road transport
safety systems investigation to establish the extent of compliance with processes, procedures and existing standards for
public service transport operators in order to take further remedial steps in
the public interest.
Without prejudice to the outcome of the
investigations, the Commission is distressed with the safety profile of the
commercial passenger transport operators particularly the GPRTU and Metro Mass
Transit (MMT) as leading public service transport operators with responsibility
to reflect a higher road safety standard.
It is regrettable that over the last
three years alone, the GPRTU and MMT have been involved in a number of crashes
that includes some notable high casualty crashes killing a total of 97 persons
in the following crashes;
a.
In
August 2010, 19 persons perished in a crash at Sege when a MMT bus ran into a
stationary vehicle.
b.
In
November 2011, 29 persons died in Tamale in a crash involving vehicles operated
by GPRTU and MMT as a result of overloading and over speeding.
c.
In
September 2012, a Metro Mass Transit operated vehicle hit an Urvan Commercial
bus at Srokpo junction on the Tamale-Savelugu highway killing 9 persons and
d.
Again
in September, 2012 a Metro Mass Transit bus collided with a GPRTU operated
Toyota Haise bus at Bepoase near Adukrom in the Eastern Region killing 9 persons
and
e.
In
November 2012, some 31 persons have been confirmed dead in a crash involving
vehicles managed by Metro Mass Transit and GPRTU.
The Commission considers transport
operators as frontline enforcement agencies with responsibility to ensure compliance
with existing operational safety standards.
In view of the above and the
Commission’s mandate to put in place measures designed to prevent accidents
(crashes) involving the use of vehicles on roads, the NRSC directs that;
a.
The
Management of GPRTU and all other commercial transport operators should of
necessity take steps to appoint Road Safety officers as provided for by the
“Standards for Commercial Passenger Transport Operators” for all their branches
and ensure their training.
b.
The
Management of the MMT, GPRTU and all other commercial passenger transport
operators should liaise with the National Drivers Academy to put in place a
programme to offer road safety refresher training programme in the manner
provided for under Regulation 125 of Road Traffic Regulations L.I. 2180 2012
for all their drivers.
The Management of MMT, GPRTU and all
transport operators providing service in the nature of commercial passenger
transport service shall submit to the Commission within two weeks from today
November 21st, 2012 a list of Road Safety Officers so appointed and a detailed
action plan for the implementation of the standards and the refresher training
for all their drivers.
The Commission shall liaise with the
relevant stakeholders to exercise all the available opportunities to ensure
that these measures designed to prevent road traffic crashes are complied with
for the public good.
The
Commission will continue to lead research, advocacy and coordination efforts to
deliver a better road safety situation while expecting that we will
collectively cultivate a safety culture to demand responsibility from road
safety implementing agencies.
Road
safety, my responsibility!
Issued by the National Road Safety
Commission
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