Passengers Must Check Drivers

Passengers ought to take their destinies into their own hands and exercise a watch dog role on drivers to safeguard their lives against accidents. Major stakeholders of road safety gave the advise when they visited transport terminals and interacted with passengers and drivers as part of the activities marking this year�s Public Transport Day, in Cape Coast. The Day is to encourage policy makers, politicians, heads of institutions, and public servants to patronize public transport for them to have a feel of what passengers of public transport go through on daily basis, so that they could make informed policies concerning public transportation. This year�s celebration is on the theme: �Passengers and Pedestrians Empowerment to voice out for safety�. DCOP Ransford Moses Ninson, Regional Police Commander and the Chairman of the NRSC, interacting with the passengers at the Metro Mass Transit station, asked them to report any incident of gross misconduct on the part any driver to the appropriate authorities for necessary action. He said: �Passengers should have one voice and �speak against any driver who over speeds, overloads, or does anything that is not appropriate to ensure their safety. They should do so politely, devoid of any insult to build a harmonious relationship between them and the drivers.� DCOP Ninson also advised passengers against putting unnecessary pressure on drivers to over speed but to remain patient for the drivers to steer them safely to their destinations. He advised drivers to disembark passengers who would pressurize them to break the speed limit. Mr. Steven Anokye, Central Regional Director of the National Road Safety Commission, asked drivers to desist from making phone calls when driving because a driver required one hundred per cent attention to concentrate and to efficiently manage incidents on the road. He advised the drivers to drive carefully and observe the road traffic regulations for a peaceful Christmas devoid of road accidents. For their part, the drivers complained about the poor road network in the Region, saying some of the potholes on had become like boreholes, making the roads very difficult to ply. They appealed to the Government to ensure that the roads were in good shape because majority of accidents were the result of bad roads. Other drivers expressed worry about faulty articulator trucks and other big vehicles often abandoned on the sides of the road, saying these were only towed away shortly after they had caused accidents. They, therefore, appealed to the authorities to ensure that these faulty vehicles were removed rather instantly. The MTTU Police commander, Chief Superintendent Felix Cosmos, assured the drivers that their concerns would be addressed.