43 Die in accidents on George Walker Bush Highway, Daily Graphic pg 63, December 19, 2012

FORTY-THREE people lost their lives on  the George Walker Bush Highway from February to November this year.
According to statistics from the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the road which was opened to traffic in February this year had recorded about 339 accidents, out which 248 people sustained injuries. Ninety-four pedestrian knock downs were also recorded during the period.
The road was formally inaugurated by the Late President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, and it was named after the former  US President, George Walker Bush, due to his contributions to the establishment of the Millennium Challenge Corporation which funded its construction.
The 14-kilometre road was expected to cut down traffic time from the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange to Mallam Junction from two hours to about 20 minutes.
The MTTU Commander, ACP Angwubutoge Awuni, attributed the cause of the accidents on the highway to some engineering defects.
For instance, he told the Daily Graphic that pedestrians crossing points were not enough and added that the overpasses were also few and far apart, forcing pedestrians to cross the highway at unauthorised locations.
Other engineering causes of the accidents, he said, included the lack of road signs on the road to direct drivers and pedestrians.
He said the MTTU had made a formal report to the Accra City Engineering Department which had given the assurance that defects would be looked at to reduce the spate of accidents.
“For now,  MTTU personnel are always on the N1 road to ensure discipline and safety and we are going to deploy more personnel, especially for the festive season,” he added.
ACP Awuni said indiscipline on the part of some drivers also contributed to some of the accidents on the N1 road.
“Despite these challenges, indiscipline on the part of some drivers such as wrongful overtaking, speeding and wrong signals were some causes of the accidents,”  he said.
With Christmas just around the corner, he advised drivers to drive passengers safely to their destinations and bring them back safely during this season.
Mr Awuni appealed to drivers to avoid reckless overtaking, speeding, drunk-driving and inspect their cars for any faults and repair them before putting their vehicles on the road.
He advised passengers to police drivers by making sure they did the right thing and should not pressurise drivers to do their bidding.