YETRON DONATES TO ROAD SAFETY COMMISSION (PAGE 19)

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has reminded drivers that it is against the Road Traffic Act and Regulation to travel continuously for more than four hours without rest, since that leads to fatigue and accidents.
The commission has therefore stated that it is in the interest of drivers and the travelling public to insist on stopping and resting to avoid fatigue.
Mr Osafo Adonteng, Deputy Director of the commission in charge of Research and Monitoring, who made the call, said driving under fatigue had become a critical issue for the commission and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), since most drivers drive for more than eight to 16 hours without rest which is against the law.
He said the commission was mounting an exercise in connection with this year’s elections to educate political parties and drivers on the slogan “don’t drive when fatigued’’.
Mr Adonteng said the campaign would also be used to sensitise the private sector to invest in the erection of rest stops where drivers and passengers on long journeys could stop to stretch and rest before continuing their journey.
He said these rest stops, especially the one at Bunso serving Kumasi-bound vehicles, was a perfect example of private and public partnership to help generate revenue for economic development.
Mr Adonteng therefore called on the GPRTU and the Private Haulage Transport Services to lead the campaign to reduce road accidents through fatigue by investing in rest stops as business to help create awareness in the public.
Mr Adonteng, who received 1000 copies of posters and forty billboards in connection with the campaign, from Yetron Services Ltd, a road safety company, commended the company for showing concern especially during an election year when road accidents are on the increase.
Mr Teete Owusu-Nortey, Chief Executive of Yetron Services, said road accidents had claimed a lot of lives in the country and as the company’s contribution towards minimising the accidents, his company had decided to contribute the 1000 copies of posters on fatigue driving to the NRSC.
Mr Owusu-Nortey said the company also had donated 40 billboards to be erected in accident-prone areas throughout the country to help make the country’s roads accident-free especially during the electioneering this year.