A Transport Consultant, Mr. Cecil Garbrah, has said the management of the Metro Mass Transit Company Limited must be held responsible for the tragedy which occurred on the Tamale-Kintampo highway.
He said the failure of managers of the transport company to conduct due diligence on the bus ensure its safety before allowing it to leave the terminal is responsible for the horrific accident.
“Somebody must have checked to make ensure the bus was in a good condition before leaving the terminal”, he said.
At least 68 passengers died, with 23 injured Wednesday evening on the Tamale-Kintampo highway when a Metro Mass bus heading to Bolgatanga butted a cargo truck.
The bus is said to have suffered brake failure before the accident occurred.
Speaking on the Super Morning Show, transport expert, Mr. Garbrah, explained that lack of implementation of the Road Traffic and Regulation, Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180 is responsible for the dearth of knowledge of drivers.
“Many of the drivers lack knowledge on the use of our roads”, he said, and this makes them flout the speed limit on the roads with casual abandon.
The law requires motorists to travel at 50kph on standard roads, 80 kilometers per hour on a highway and 100 kilometers per hour on a motorway, but this is largely ignored.
“Inappropriate speeding is responsible for the mortalities on our roads”, Mr. Cecil Garbrah said.
“Enforcement is not working in our country”, he explained.
He further blamed the reticence of passengers in the country for the carnage on roads.
“Many passengers tell drivers to speed rather than asking them to slow down”, he said, and that they need to voice out against reckless and dangerous driving to avoid accidents.
Mr. Garbrah categorized the problems on the road under education, engineering, and enforcement, and reiterated that “if the nation failed to handle the situation from this angle, it would get worse.”
He berated officials of the National Emergency Service for the delayed response to the accident.
Emergency services are a big failure. Ambulances were deployed without equipments, he regretted.
Traffic Officer at the Metro Mass Transit Limited, Mr. Robert Berko, said all buses leaving the bus terminals are checked regularly.
“All our buses on our roads are checked regularly especially the long distance buses, and this particular bus went through the process of checks”, he explained.
Mr. Berko said the bus was carrying 63 passengers when it moved from the terminal yard, and that the bus did not have 80 passengers on board as alleged.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
