The Commander of the Volta Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Frederick Senanu Lumor, has expressed worry over the rapid development of potholes on major highways in the region, which could result in fatal accidents. ASP Lumor stressed that there should be conscious efforts to ensure the regular maintenance of the roads to complement the efforts of the Police in helping to reduce accidents. The MTTU Commander, who was speaking at a stakeholders meeting on strategies to adopt to curb road accidents in Ho recently, commended the Road Safety Foundation (ROSEF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to promote safety on the road, and the organisers of the meeting for the conscious effort being made to save life and property. ASP Lumor continued that the deteriorating nature of the road network was of major concern to the people, particularly, the development of potholes on almost all the vital roads in the Ho Municipality. He called on the Ghana Highways Authority and Department of Urban Roads to take the necessary steps to repair the roads. ASP Lumor also stressed the need for the various private transport unions operating in the region to take concrete measures to check drivers who drink alcoholic beverages before taking off from the lorry stations. The Commander alleged that some of the drivers had been removing warning signs placed on the roads to guide their speed limits when approaching town, and warned them to put a stop to the practice. The Volta Regional Road Safety Coordinator, Mr. Alexander Ayatah, on his pan, disclosed that 27 people had died through road accidents in the region within the last three months. According to him, it was unfortunate that road accident deaths, which were mostly caused by human factors, were still on the increase as a result of inability of the public to change their attitude towards negative practices. According to Ayatah, statistics available at his outfit showed that deaths resulting from road accidents had exceeded the number of people who died through the deadly HIV/AIDS disease. “I think most of the time, we talk too much on serious national issues with little action, and this attitude is not in the best interests of the efforts aimed at enhancing and achieving targets,” he stressed. The President of the Road Safety Foundation and the Chief of Ave-Atanve, Togbui Hodzi Dunyo, called on stakeholders in the transport sector to effectively collaborate with his organisation to coordinate activities that would facilitate safety on the road, in order to save life and property in the region. Source: The Chronicle/Ghana