A member of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) Communications Team, Eric Lantey Lamptey, said the union has entrusted the responsibility of inspecting commercial vehicles to station masters as part of measures to curb road accidents.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning on Tuesday during a special Prime Dialogue on the Road Safety Crisis, Mr Lamptey explained that no vehicle is allowed to operate from any GPRTU station without going through a rigorous vetting and inspection process.

According to him, the GPRTU has a decentralised but strict system where station masters are empowered to ensure only roadworthy vehicles are allowed to load passengers.

“Before a vehicle is accepted into a station, the station masters conduct thorough inspections and test-drive it before allowing it to become part of the station. We the GPRTU have entrusted these responsibilities to the station masters.”

Mr Lamptey said the inspection includes a physical check of the vehicle’s tyres, brakes, lights and overall condition, as well as a test-drive to assess its performance before approval.

He explained that the move is intended to complement the work of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and ensure that vehicles that ply the roads daily are safe for both drivers and passengers.

The comments come at a time when Ghana continues to record high cases of road accidents, with many stakeholders calling for stricter enforcement of road safety regulations.

The Prime Dialogue edition, themed “Road Safety Crisis: Who is responsible?”, is exploring the roles of drivers, transport unions, the police and regulatory bodies in addressing the menace.

Mr Lamptey stressed that while the GPRTU is playing its part at the station level, road safety is a shared responsibility that requires discipline from drivers, vigilance from passengers and enforcement by state agencies.