NRSA starts nationwide commercial drivers' training

The National Road Safety Authority, in collaboration with key stakeholders, has rolled out a nationwide training for high occupancy and goods carrying commercial drivers at various centres across the country.

The training, which started on Monday, December 23, is expected to cover more than 13,000 drivers, is hosted by 41 selected centres with experienced instructors from some driving schools.

It is in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Association of Driving Schools.

The training forms part of the interventions of the Authority’s Stop Road Accidents Now Campaign, under the President’s Supplementary Budget Support for improved road safety sensitisation.

Speaking at the launch of the Accra Session at the Government Technical Training Centre, Kaneshie, Mrs May Obiri-Yeboah, the Director-General of the NRSA, said the training would contribute to minimising the high rate of road crashes.

The training was also setting the basis for the implementation of Regulations 31(3(e)) and 125 of Road Traffic Regulations 2012, the Legal Instrument 2180 that provides for mandatory annual refresher training for commercial vehicle drivers.’

About 2,083 people lost their lives to road crashes, while about 12,000 people; while about 12,000 people sustained various degrees of injuries from January to November 2019, according to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service.

This involved 20,000 vehicles.

The country reportedly spends up to $230 million every year treating injuries and traffic fatalities.

It is in three modules and scheduled to last an average of five hours a day.

Module One focuses on Motivation; Attitude and Hazard Perception where presentations on curtailing risk taking behaviours, such as speeding, drunk driving, emotional outbursts, scanning, anticipating and managing driving hazards will be taught.

Module Two, which is on the Commercial Transport Environment touches on the Highway Code, the Police, Licensing, Insurance, Post Accident Procedures, Transport Associations or Unions and Legal Requirements.

The Third Module on Risk Identification and Management looks at areas such as road crash statistics, the cost of road traffic crashes, tyres, emergencies, fire fighting, first aid, weather conditions, among others.

The Authority said it was undertaking these strategies to enhance road safety situation within for national development.