Senior Manager of Programs and Planning of the National Road Safety Authority  (NRSA), Henry Asomani, has admonished Ghanaians to stop patronising commercial motorbikes, popularly known as 'Okada,' as means of transport.

He explained that such a step will make the 'Okada' business less lucrative for many people and reduce road accidents.

According to Mr Asomani, while interacting with Joy Prime’s Benjamin Akakpo, the current data shows about 42 per cent of deaths resulting from road carnage are due to the use of motorbikes.

“When you are on a motorbike and it is involved in an accident, the possibility of fatality is high; l would urge people to stop patronising it. Okada business has increased the number of motorbikes in the system, and subsequently increasing the death toll of motorbike accidents”, he added.

He noted that people must be responsible for their safety hence the need to stop engaging the services of 'okada' riders simply because they want to get to their destination fast.

Current statistics on road traffic crashes reveal 2,126 lives have been lost from January to September this year.

The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service in their latest release of motor accident returns for the same period indicates that 20,225 vehicles were involved in various road crashes which resulted in 2,126 deaths with 11,659 others being injured.

Further analysis reveals that the total number of deaths recorded in the period under review was 17.9 percent lower than the total number of deaths due to road crashes recorded in 2020.

Reacting to this report, Mr Asomani advised that all motor riders should always be in helmets and follow all the traffic regulations.

Also, he urged the public to prioritise safety, report, and assist the Police in cases involving Okada.