Death On Our Roads ? How I See It

Following recent tragic road accidents resulting in the death of three experienced medical officers of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on the Accra-Kumasi road, one on the Obuasi-Kumasi road killing 16, another on the Accra - Ada road killing the Dangme East District Executive, his wife & son, the needless death of Suzy Williams and the senseless killing of the former Minister for Education and Sports, Mr. Edward Osei Kwaku, by some crazy driver, so much has been written and said about road accidents and their effect on our society that one might be tempted to conclude that we have heard enough of it. But I would rather prefer this issue to be discussed day in and day out as a substitute to the all-day political discussions going on all over the place as if that is the most important need of our people.

We can certainly not discuss the issue of road accidents (or should we not be talking about road safety?) too much since unlike politics each and every one of us or someone close to us is a road-user one time or another. I know all about it, having already lost a dear sister and brother-in-law through road accident on this same Accra ? Kumasi road. I would therefore have wished that our numerous radio stations would be saturated with adverts and public education on safe driving and disciplined comportment on our roads instead of adverts of numerous drugs professing to cure all ailments ranging from diabetes to low sperm counts. There is one good one about the commercial driver boasting that he would do the Accra ? Kumasi journey in two hours but eventually ending up ?pouring them down?. , this one is heard only once in a while and probably only on a few stations. Perhaps the relevant agencies do not see the matter as serious as some of us see it.

The Indiscipline on Our Roads

Among all the easily identifiable causes of the carnage on our roads I would want to zoom in on indiscipline. Unfortunately, I think the indiscipline itself has been developed, with time, out of our rather peculiar way of looking at things. Our implicit acceptance of a vehicle as a status symbol has become so deeply rooted into our way of thinking that anybody who jumps behind the steering wheel thinks he/she occupies a higher social status than everyone else. The result is that the average Ghanaian driver tends to look down on pedestrians, passengers and two-wheel riders. Whether he acquired his driving knowledge from a few trials with client?s vehicles at the fitting shop or whether he is an unauthorised ?spare? driver of somebody else?s vehicle, the moment he sits behind the steering wheel, you risk being queried whether you have ever bought a car tyre before if you dare question his misconduct. And it appears one thing especially the younger ones hate to see most is an elderly man or woman who drives his own private car. It doesn?t matter whether you knew how to drive before they were born; they will still label you ?myself?, in other words you are an amateur.

Heavy truck drivers in particular are known to be notorious road users because they know that in the event of a crash with smaller vehicles they are much safer. It may surprise readers to know that when I personally saw this attitude at work it wasn?t from a truck driver, but rather two drivers of a STC bus on the way from Accra to Kumasi. Sitting on the very first row of seats and within earshot of the driver and his colleague assistant driver I heard and saw how these two ?professional? drivers actually took delight in harassing and intimidating other road users. With encouragement from the assistant driver, and taking full advantage of the power and weight of his Setra bus, the bus driver would speed dangerously behind other road users, blind them with his headlamps while at the same time blaring his horn. In other words, with their false conviction that only they had the right to use the road, these two STC drivers were enjoying themselves by intimidating other road users.

Intentionally running through red light of course, has nothing to do with the condition of either the vehicle or the road, but everything to do with indiscipline. I vividly recall one particular accident I witnessed one evening in Accra. I was in the traffic from Dzorwulu towards the Military Hospital. At the Nima Highway junction, we had been stopped by the red light giving way to traffic on the Nima Highway. All of a sudden there was this rickety taxi speeding from behind with headlamps and hazard lamps on and horn blowing. Without a moment?s thought about the other road users, this guy drove pass all of us and headed straight into the intersecting traffic colliding with a mini bus and falling on the side.

I happen to live at an area in Sunyani off the usable section of the ?ring road? which is a dual carriage. To join the traffic on the other side to the left from my right side one has to drive towards the right for about 100 meters and make a U-turn. Somehow, some drivers find this such a long distance to travel that they would rather drive on the left side, against on-coming traffic to join the right lane at the point where traffic on the right makes its own U-turn.

I have once had to get down from an Nsawam ? Aburi vehicle because of the way and manner an obviously totally drunk driver was behaving. And this was a ?station vehicle? that had been ?officially? loaded by the appropriate officials at the Nsawam Station. As a matter of fact, drunk-driving is so common in Ghana that one might be tempted to believe it is perfectly legal. I don?t think there are many frequent travellers in our rural areas who have not once seen a (front seated-passenger) Police Officer looking on unconcerned while the driver helps himself to some palm-wine. In fact, some drivers boast that they drive safer when they are tipsy. And who are you, an ordinary poor passenger, to complain where even a Policeman dares not.

I wish to add however, that all that I have said is not meant to blame the indiscipline of our drivers as the exclusive cause of all our motor accidents but rather to emphasise that it is one of the major cause. As a matter of fact, our state agencies with responsibility over transportation cannot escape blame on this issue.

Fighting Against Indiscipline ? Who Leads the Battle?

With particular reference to the drivers, I sometimes even wonder whether it is simply a question of indiscipline or ignorance. But when it comes to public education or enforcement of traffic regulations to fight indiscipline who else than the police can we rely on? It is for this reason that it is so disappointing to find that a Policeman checking traffic offences (or let?s say ?papers?) does not have any idea about what he is doing.

One day I was stopped on the outskirts of a small village on the Sunyani ? Kumasi road for over speeding. I was said to be doing 55 kph instead of 50. After a long discussion I asked the Sergeant what the speed limit was on our highways. His confident answer was ?oh, it?s only in the towns that we have a speed limit; once you are out of the towns you can drive at any speed you are capable of.? I went further to ask how much fine I would have to pay if I went to court the following morning, and your guess is as good as mine. ?As for that only the Judge can decide? was his answer. And to tell you the truth, I wasn?t just trying to ?test? the Police Officer, I really wanted to know. But as it turned out, either the Police Officer didn?t know of the speed limit on our highways or there is no such thing. Meanwhile, in other countries not only does every driver know the mandatory speed limit on the highways, country roads or inner city, he also knows exactly how much fine he is liable to pay for any kilometre of over-speeding he does. And whenever the speed limit differs from the mandatory limit, it is boldly displayed for everyone to see.

We misbehave on our roads simply because we know that no one is checking us. Drivers all over the world break traffic regulations from time to time but when they do, they know they are taking a risk. So the reason why traffic is more orderly in other countries is because of better police control and the fact that offenders know theh face stiff penalties. And perhaps even more important, these are known to every road user and not kept in the drawers of the police or judges for them to manipulate as and when they wish. Are Our Officials Ever Punished for Criminal Negligence?

I wonder how many people - public officials or private individuals - through whose actions or inactions accidents are caused ever get punished for their criminal negligence. Not only owners or drivers of wrongly parked or abandoned vehicles that cause accidents must be held responsible but also the MTTU officials of that particular district for their inaction. In the same vein, road contractors should be held responsible if an exposed heap of sand or a trench negligently left at a construction site without adequate and properly placed warning results in an accident. As I write now I hear that an articulated truck that was reported to have been parked dangerously somewhere in Accra more than a week ago is still standing there. So supposing the owner of the vehicle is dead or has run away after using it to cause crime should there not be anybody responsible for removing it?

Punishment Must be Commensurate With Offence

Before we can expect to bring any sanity on our roads therefore, not only must the police be up and doing, public education on traffic regulations and road offences should be more vigorous and constant. The present situation where road safety campaigns are launched usually around Christmas time only and abandoned later does not help anyone. Having said this however, I don?t think the way out is to enact laws which are either non-enforceable in the long term or rather tend to create more problems for the society. To be specific I am disappointed in a statement attributed to the Commanding Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU), Chief Superintendent Victor Tandoh, (published on Ghanaweb on 19th September 2005) to the effect that ?there is no option for a fine when the new Road Traffic Regulation 2004, Act 683, comes into force but three or more year?s imprisonment?. We shall be seen as jokers if indeed we go ahead and put people in prison for THREE OR MORE YEARS for using a mobile phone or as the story says, for ?dressing improperly? while driving, or for that matter any traffic offence that does not directly result in damage to life and property. What then happens to offenders of more serious offences like running through red traffic light or driving under the influence of alcohol? As much as we need laws to ?control? our society, we should learn to do away with this our ?punish-to-kill? culture. It will be much more beneficial to our country to let them pay fines and, where necessary, withdraw their driving licences for specified periods. The fines collected could be used to improve our roads while our already choked prisons would be reserved for criminals only.

Let our engineers and road contractors construct properly marked roads with proper road signs readable even in the night; let?s educate the public how to drive safely by understanding and observing road signs; let officials of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority do their job well by licensing only vehicles that are road-worthy; let the government enact enforceable laws; let the police enforce the laws by checking vehicles and drivers instead of ?papers?, and our roads will surely be safer.