The National Road Safety Authority (NSRA) has hinted that it may be compelled to restrict mini-buses to short-distance operations if they fail to adhere to overspeeding and overtaking rules.
The move is expected to address high-speed and incessant overtaking by drivers of mini-buses.
In a statement, the Acting Executive Director of the NRSA, David Safo Adonten, said authorities may initiate a necessary administrative protocol to impose a restriction on the movement of mini-buses to intra-city services or on routes not exceeding 40km.
This decision follows complaints it has received from numerous road users, including the national security, over incessant high speed and reckless overtaking by drivers of mini-buses on major roads, particularly on the Accra Kumasi Highway.
In the wake of complaints, the NRSA said it held meetings with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), O.Travel and Tours and other transportation agencies on the need to institute internal safety controls, including training and real-time tracking of their drivers to minimize the risk associated with unsafe practices.
The NRSA also advised transport operators to improve the quality of services immediately.
Overspeeding and overtaking are major contributors to road accident fatalities.
Accident trends
About 1,300 persons were killed in road traffic crashes between January and June 2022.
This represents a 10.59 per cent decrease in the number of persons killed by road crashes within the same period last year.
Additionally, 7,997 persons sustained various injuries through road accidents within the same period, a 2.3 per cent decrease in the numbers.
This was contained in provisional statistics on road safety from January to June 2022, released by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).
According to the statistics, the deaths and injuries were as a result of 7,687 crashes that occurred across the country involving 13,248 vehicles.
Also, within the same period, 1,356 pedestrians were also knocked down by vehicles, representing a 7.7 per cent decrease in the number of cases.
A total of 2,924 lives were lost through road carnage in 2021. The figure was a 12.9% increase in deaths compared to the previous year, which recorded 2,589 deaths.
Some 15,680 persons suffered injuries in 2021 from 15,972 accidents. There were 1,106 more accidents and an increase of 163 more injuries compared to 2020.
