One hundred and eighty-six accidents were recorded by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service during the second quarter, as against 133 cases recorded between January and March this year. From the 186 accidents, 83 people died, with 157 others getting injured, while, in the first quarter, 38 people died, with 149 others receiving various degrees of injury. The Brong-Ahafo Regional Commander of the MTTU, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Paul Wesley Baah, who disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Sunyani, explained that between April and June, the number of vehicles that were involved in accidents was 236, as against 213 vehicles from January to March 2011. He named the vehicles involved as commercial, private and motorbikes, adding that in the second quarter, 49 of the accidents were fatal, 39 were serious, while 98 were minor injuries. ASP Baah indicated that, 32 of the accidents in the first quarter were fatal, 38 serious and 63 were minor cases. He said 149 commercial vehicles, 64 private cars and 23 motorbikes were involved in accidents in the second quarter, adding that the number of pedestrians knocked down was five. For the people killed in accidents between April and June, ASP Baah said 52 were males above 18, nine were males below 18, while 16 were females of 18 and above, with six below 18. However, he could not provide the breakdown for the previous quarter in which 38 people were reported dead. He intimated that for the second quarter ending June 30, 2011, GH¢13,270 was realised from fines imposed on drivers who were arraigned for various traffic offences in the region. In all, he said, 179 cases were reported, with 139 of them being sent to court, while 104 were convicted, 13 were currently under investigation, 22 were awaiting trial, while 13 had been acquitted and discharged, adding that two of the drivers had been served with warning letters. He mentioned some of the traffic offences as failure to renew documents, driving without licence or with invalid ones, speeding, driving with worn-out tyres, as well as drink driving. ASP Baah cautioned both pedestrians and drivers to be careful on the roads to avoid accidents of any kind, saying that the law would not spare those who contravened traffic regulations. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana