Source: Myjoyonline.com
Transport consultant Cecil Garbrah has identified enforcement of road safety laws as the primary challenge facing Ghana in the battle against rising road accidents.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on October 14, he lamented the failure to enforce existing road safety laws and regulations, despite Ghana having some of the most comprehensive road safety legislation on the continent.
Ghana’s road safety legislation, particularly Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180, has been hailed as one of the best on the continent.
Mr Garbrah attested to the strength of the country’s legal framework, recalling how a friend from Rwanda sought advice on how to implement aspects of Ghana’s road traffic regulations.
“They [Rwanda] contacted me about six years ago and said, ‘Look, what we want is in your LI.’ We have the best, and we are not using it,” he said.
He expressed frustration that while Ghana possesses the necessary legislative tools, enforcement remains the biggest hurdle.
“We have all the men, I mean, right from all the stakeholders, National Road Safety Authority, DVLA, other stakeholders. We have the right people to work, but here we are.”
A major part of the problem, according to Cecil Garbrah, is the culture of impunity on the roads, facilitated by a lack of enforcement. He cited everyday examples, such as cyclists and drivers moving without lights, as evidence that laws are being blatantly ignored.
“I’ll give you a very simple thing: when you leave here and you’re driving, just watch by the roadside, you see someone riding a bicycle without lights. And it is all over,” he observed.
The law specifically prohibits riding bicycles or driving vehicles without lights, yet this regulation is rarely enforced.
“The laws are there, but the major issue is enforcing the laws.”
The transport consultant noted that even traffic lights are routinely ignored because there is no police presence to enforce them.
“People are running through traffic lights because the police are not there,” he said, highlighting the need for a more visible and efficient road safety enforcement system.
He did, however, acknowledge efforts by the Ghana Police Service, particularly the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to address the situation by deploying motor riders to enforce road traffic regulations.
Yet, Cecil Garbrah argued that more consistent and comprehensive enforcement efforts are needed to curb rising road accidents.
He further criticised what he described as “selective outrage” when it comes to road accidents.
He pointed out that accidents are often ignored unless they involve prominent individuals: “Unless maybe it’s a big man in court, then we’ll talk about it. But a little man, or the people who are in the villages that are being knocked down every day… we don’t talk about it.”
