The Bono East Regional Secretary for the Ghana Association of Public Health Technical Officers (GAPHTO), Issah Abdul-Razak, has reiterated the need for drivers to avoid distracted driving to prevent road accidents.

Distracted driving is the act of driving while engaging in other activities which distract the driver's attention away from the road. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles.

He urged particularly drivers plying the various highways to adhere to all road safety regulations to save lives.
The Bono East Regional Secretary of GAPHTO advised all road users to make road safety a priority at all times to ensure that lives and properties are protected.

Abdul Razak spoke to JoyNews during a visit to one of their members on admission at the Wenchi Methodist Hospital after suffering a life-threatening injury in a road crash on the Kumasi-Kintampo highway.

He observed that although recent statistics from the National Road Safety Authority show a decline in road crashes, more sensitisation must be done to bring sanity to the roads.

He indicated that their colleague, Aishatu Musah, was involved in an accident on the Kumasi-Kintampo road, and she sustained a severe spine injury.

“Aishatu’s accident could have been avoided if the driver exhibited caution.

“That is why we are calling on the National Road Safety Authority and other stakeholders to intensify innovative road safety awareness initiatives that could help reduce road crashes and pedestrian knockdowns,” the Bono East Regional Secretary of GAPHTO stressed.

He noted that “the association has presented an amount of ₵37,000 to the family of Aishatu to settle 80 per cent of the hospital bills”.

The Head of the Orthopaedic Unit at the Wenchi Methodist Hospital, Emmanuel Denteh, said Aishatu’s case is life-threatening, but the surgeon and the team have stabilised her.

"We are done with the surgery, and she is currently recuperating on admission, and what is left for her to do is to undergo rigorous physiotherapy so that she can regain functions,” he
said.

Mr Denteh also advised drivers and other road users to always adhere to the necessary road safety regulations to prevent the loss of precious lives.

Brother of the accident victim, Adam Yushawu, said the accident affected Aishatu’s spine, so she is motionless.

“She is bedridden and can't do anything for herself, so everything has to be done for her, and now that the surgery has been done, the hands are beginning to respond.

“We are hoping that with the support we have received and with the help of the medical officers, she will able to get back to her feet again and work,” he added.

He also called on drivers, especially those plying the Kumasi-Kintampo road, to be extra careful when driving to preserve lives.