Professional drivers in the Upper West Region have been schooled in a two- day Defensive Driving Training workshop held by National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) in collaboration with the National Driver’s Academy (NDA). The training, which formed part of benefits for awardees of the 2012 National Road Safety Awards held at the regional level, drew participants from various transport unions including Intercity STC, Metro Mass Transport Limited, O.A Travel and Tours and the regional branch of the G.P.R.T.U. Speaking to Joy News, the Upper West Regional Manager of the N.R.S.C, Mohammed Abdul Samad said the training was organized to make drivers in the region more knowledgeable and safety conscious when plying the road. “As road safety commission, our mandate is to promote safety on the road and that is why we brought this up to cut down the number of accidents”. It will increase competitiveness on the part of the drivers to abide by road safety regulations at all times hence increasing safety on our roads, he added. He said the programme is organized for transport unions’ particularly commercial drivers of the unions. Mr. Mohammed encouraged beneficiaries of the training to serve as role models for their colleague drivers so that more lives would be saved on our roads. According to the executive director of the National Drivers Academy, Mr. EtseLadzekpo, who took participants through road safety modules, the training will ensure that the drivers who are plying our roads have got the skill and the techniques and the knowledge to use the vehicles appropriately for the purposes of saving lives and property. “They could be moving the vehicles and driving but there are some underlying factors such as those cognitive and psychological aspects of driving. Many of them don’t have this skills and this exercise is aiming to address these issues that we have identified’. Research shows that about 90% of road incidents are the result of human factors and we are hoping that at the end of this training we are going to have a change in attitude which will lead to a change in behavior”, he posited. He said driving is not just about sitting behind the wheels and shifting gears, rather it is about thinking deeply and reflecting on what the purpose of their journey is. He indicated that the programme is being held across the country at regional level and advised drivers to be focused in ensuring the safety of their passengers for them to reach their destinations safely