Epileptic test for drivers is being considered as part of measures to reduce road accidents, says the Ministry of Transport. The test which will initially target commercial drivers, will be extended to both existing and new applicants for drivers license. The sector minister, Mike Hammah, gave this hint on Tuesday when he took his turn at the weekly Meet-the-Press series in Accra. He said the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) considered the idea following the assertion of the Chief Psychiatrist, Dr Akwasi Osei, that most drivers suffer from one form of epilepsy or the other. Although the minister was unable to tell when project will take off, he said the DVLA will collaborate with Dr Osei to conduct the test on existing drivers. The result will be used to set the standard for the driving license. The Minister said the focus is on commercial drivers “because they transport a lot of people and goods and account for most of the accidents on the roads”. Mr Hammah also bemoaned the activities of goro boys (middle men) which hamper the work of the authority. These activities have led to the duplication and fake DVLA roadworthy certificates in the system. He said on the average about 41 per cent of all registered vehicles often fail to renew their roadworthiness certificates at DVLA. Mr Hammah said the authority was collaborating with the police to conduct road inspections to arrest drivers who use the services of these middlemen. On the aviation sector, the minister said cabinet was reviewing the operations of Ghana International Airline Limited (GIAL) to recapitalise it and will soon come out with the way forward. He said the operations of the company cost the nation close to 1.5million dollars a month and questioned the reason for government entering into such a deal. "GIAL started on the wrong footing; you can't run a successful airline when you do not have equipment and own an aircraft," he said. Mr Hammah said the only thing the airline provides is the point-to-point service." Another area of concern to the ministry, according to the minister, is the acquisition of land. He said though the agencies under the ministry have laudable policies, the land acquisition regime was making it impossible for them to implement them. The agencies under the ministry include the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Ghana Airports Company Limited, Volta Lake Transport Limited and the Regional Maritime University. The rest are the Metro Mass Transport, the Ghana Shippers Council, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the National Road Safety Commission. Source: Times/Ghana