Ya-Na launches road safety campaign ahead of December polls

The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abubakari Mahama has launched a road safety campaign to safeguard lives ahead of the December elections.

The campaign seeks to engage political parties and their supporters to adopt road safety measures such as wearing of crash helmets, avoiding overloading and reckless riding of motorbikes on the road.

The Northern region has suffered some fatalities through road accidents. In 2018, the region suffered one hundred and 84 deaths and over 900 injuries, while 2019 saw a drop in fatalities from one hundred and 84 to one hundred and 25.

The number of injuries also dropped from nine hundred to six hundred in 2019. According to the National Road Safety Commission, the rate of accidents in the region remains too high. The Commission has identified the political campaign season as a major period for indiscipline on the road.

The Ya-Na who is a road safety ambassador is, therefore, working to reduce the carnage on the road, particularly during elections. As part of the campaign launch, the Overlord presented some crash helmets to the various political parties to encourage their supporters to wear helmets during rallies.

The campaign also targets school children. The Ya-Na presented some textbooks on road safety to schools in the region. The Northern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Commission, Alexander Ayata, commended the Overlord for his foresight.