The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is to install the first-ever dedicated traffic cameras in the country by June, 2017. The move is to help curb the recent high-incidence of road accidents.
Speaking on the Late Edition on 3FM, Deputy Executive Director In-Charge of Planning, Mr David Adonteng, said the new traffic arrangements is aimed at arresting reckless driving across the country and curb unwanted deaths on the roads.
Mr Adonteng was speaking to host of the show, Johnnie Hughes, from the Apam Junction accident site where a team of NRSC officials visited victims of the accident which claimed 14 lives and injured several others at the weekend.
Statistics from the NRSC indicates that 1,990 deaths were recorded from a total of 11,378 road accidents at the end of November last year involving 17,746 vehicles. Casualties stood at 12,154 and injuries at 10,154.
Mr Adonteng was responding to claims that the high rate of accidents was due to human interference in traffic management systems, adding “we hope to introduce the cameras by June and hope that we will eliminate the huge human interference in traffic management practices across the country”.
Ghana ranks 38th worst country in world traffic accidents ratings per 100,000 at 24.60, while the world road traffic accidents standing as the 9th cause of deaths with a total of 1,254,526.
Other worst performing countries are Cote d’Ivoire (24), Egypt (15.34). Iran , Iraq and Venezuela top the list, while Norway (2.86), Sweden (2.36 and Maldives (1.05) top the list with the lowest figures per 100,000.
Mr Adonteng said the Commission has had problems with human interface and was now moving their strategies a few notches higher to bring sanity and responsibility to road traffic management.
He explained that when the traffic cameras are installed, “it will bring on board a completely new way of reducing speeding and recklessness on our roads; a system by which we will arrest people who jump red lights, drive recklessly and pose serious danger to themselves and other road users.”
Traffic cameras are highly in use in Europe and America and are a major resource to police security investigative processes.
The new camera regime is collaboration between the NRSC and the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority.
By Gideon Sackitey|3FM|3news.com|Ghana