The Western regional director of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Victor Kojo Bilson, has attributed over 80 per cent of road crashes in the region to human-related factors, including poor decision-making by drivers, unqualified mechanics, and indiscipline among road users.
Speaking in a phone interview on Beach FM’s Western Echo, Mr. Bilson emphasised that road safety must be viewed as a shared responsibility, rather than being left solely to the police or enforcement agencies.
“When we dive deeper, we could realise human activities cause all these road accidents,” he said.
He identified poor decision-making by drivers, unqualified vehicle mechanics, reckless pedestrians, and general public indiscipline as the leading contributors to road accidents.
Mr. Bilson revealed that Ghana loses an average of eight lives daily to road crashes, ranking the country among the most affected in the region. He noted that the Western Region alone ranks fifth out of 16 in terms of road fatalities.
“In this beloved country of ours, we lose about eight people per day on our roads, and in Takoradi, we lose about two people every week since last year,” he stated.
The NRSA director was firm in his view that leadership gaps and policy delays are hindering progress in road safety management. He stressed the need for the government to activate the Road Fund, enhance public education, and provide resources for enforcement agencies.
“We are all to blame, but I will put most of the blame on leadership because if leadership is failing, then everything else has a reason,” he emphasized.
To reduce the burden on Ghana’s overstretched road networks, Mr. Bilson advocated for greater investment in rail transport. He believes that transporting goods like timber, bauxite, and manganese on rail instead of road would not only ease congestion but also improve travel time and reduce crashes.
“Rails can transport our timber, bauxite, and manganese, which currently use our roads, and they can help travellers reach their destination faster too,” he noted.
Mr. Bilson concluded by empasizing that road safety starts with individuals and must involve every Ghanaian, from policymakers and drivers to pedestrians and mechanics.
Tony Krapa
