Road accident is highly preventable – Samuel Ayeh-Paye

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayensuano constituency, Samuel Ayeh-Paye has cautioned drivers to drive carefully since road accidents are highly preventable.

Speaking on road related issues on the radio show Kwantenpon on NEAT FM, if drivers prioritize meticulousness behind the wheel, it will significantly reduce the country’s road accident rate.

According to him, research has revealed that 90% of road accidents result from human error, a statistic that should not be overlooked.

He emphasized the impact of poor road designs on the increasing number of accidents, mentioning that despite filing numerous complaints with the Ghana Highways Authority, no action has been taken thus far. Advising both drivers and passengers to observe all driving protocols to be on the safer side, Hon. Ayeh-Paye underscored the need of proper and frequent maintenance of vehicles, driving within the required speed range and wearing of passengers sit belt is important.

He stated that the primary focus of the Drive and Vehicle License Authority (DVLA) should not be revenue generation but rather road safety, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing this mandate.

“DVLA’s call mandate is not revenue but rather road safety, we won’t applaud them because they have raised billions of revenues while deaths as a result from road accident keeps on increasing. We will only praise them when accidents are reducing”, he stated.

Addressing concerns raised by vehicle engineers regarding inferior spare parts, most especially the brand new parts, the former Transport Manager for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly emphasized that it is the responsibility of the Ghana Standards Authority to see to it that the spare parts coming into the country are durable or not.

“How many times has the Ghana Standards Authority tested some of these parts to see how strong or durable these parts are?

“It is the responsibility of the Ghana Standards Authority to see to it that these parts are not inferior”, he emphasized.

He emphasized the need for the government to ensure that certain spare parts are manufactured within the country. This will minimize the import rate of these most commonly needed spare parts.

“Some imported car spare parts have expiring dates on them, others too cannot last in our weather conditions. It is advisable we start manufacturing our own parts”, he said.