By: Michael Kofi Kenetey
The President of the Ghana National Association of Driving Schools, Ghanadrive, Rev. Erasmus Amankwa Addo has called Ghanaians to prioritize the professional drivers’ training and education to ensure sanity and safety on the roads.
He also called on driving school proprietors and drivers to always upgrade themselves to match up with the rapid changes in road and vehicle technologies globally.
Rev. Amankwa Addo made the call during the seventh Annual National Conference of the Ghana National Association of Driving Schools in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
The Seventh Annual National Conference of the Ghana National Association of Driving Schools, Ghanadrive, saw various stakeholders in the driving industry participating to assess their performance in the past year, foster collaboration and unity to help sustain the industry and also sustain driver education in the country.
The participants include proprietors of the various driving schools from the various regions across the country, representatives from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, DVLA, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, MTTD, of the Ghana Police Service and the National Road Safety Authority, NRSA, among others.
Speaking on the theme, “Promoting Road Safety through Sustainable Driver Education”, the President of Ghanadrive, Rev. Erasmus Amankwa Addo noted that the education of drivers plays a critical role in ensuring road safety and also helps reduce carnage on the road. He noted that education is life, and it cuts across all facets of the economic and social life and the driver is of no exception.
Rev. Amankwa Addo mentioned that among the four forms of transport which include air, water, rail and road, road has claimed many lives than any other form of transport in Ghana due to the lack of professional training and education of drivers.
The Deputy Director in charge of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing at the DVLA, Kafui Semevo giving the Keynote Address mentioned that the art of driving comes with a lot of responsibility that requires aspiring drivers to be well-educated and trained to help reduce accidents on the roads.
He noted that driver education and training are therefore important for the driver to identify their responsibilities and work in collaboration towards sustaining road safety in Ghana.
He noted that the authority is working with the Ministry of Transport to amend sections of the Road Traffic Regulations to meet the current trends of driving.
The Director for Research and Education at the MTTD, Chief Supt. Alexander Kwaku Obeng noted that Ghana has a common challenge which is the road safety problem, and it is only through stakeholder collaboration in the road transport industry that can help solve the challenge.
Chief Supt. Kwaku Obeng noted that irrespective of the efforts, investment, time, and research done in the road sector, the country continues to register carnage on the road.
He mentioned that from January to April this year road accidents have claimed 829 lives.
The conference will deliberate on how to reduce road accidents while advocating for professional education and training for the driving public.
