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Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Stephen Sarfo Tenkorang, the Bono Regional Motor Traffic and Transport in Sunyani that the Region recorded 259 road accidents, involving 230 vehicles and 163 motor bikes in 2020.

DSP Tenkorang said 113 people, 91 males and 22 females, lost their lives whilst 323 persons sustained various degrees of injuries.

He said motor kings were not supposed to convey wood boards, logs and passengers but the riders were doing so without concern for their safety and that of others.

DSP Tenkorang said the riders continued to disobey road traffic rules and regulations because most of them, besides not having licenses, drove without wearing helmets.

He said the MTTD would continue to educate drivers and riders to comply with road traffic rules and regulations, adding that defiant drivers and riders would be arrested and processed for court.

DSP Tenkorang emphasised the need for drivers to undertake regular maintenance of their vehicles and avoid drink-driving, over-speeding and over-loading, stating that those were very essential contributory factors to minimise road accidents.

He appealed to passengers to cooperate with drivers to help in the effort to reduce, if not total prevention of increasing rate of road accidents in the region.

DSP Tenkorang, therefore, advised that while passengers must not talk anyhow in expressing their concerns to drivers, the latter must also take in good faith the former’s fears and advice.

He stated, “misunderstanding and hot exchange of words between passengers and drivers did not benefit anyone. There must be respect for each other from the point of departure and throughout the entire journey since safe arrival at destinations is the ultimate objective in the interest of both parties.”

DSP Tenkorang entreated passengers to reduce noise-making by refraining from fighting with fellow passengers in vehicles so that drivers could concentrate to easily detect any fault at the right time to prevent possible accidents.

He said passengers must not fight a driver, especially when the vehicle was in motion, but simply report any unusual activity of the latter to the Police at the nearest barrier for action.