Gomoa-Antseadze accident: NRSA considers banning Sprinter buses
If Sprinter and other minibuses continue to crash, Acting Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) David Osafo Adonteng may rethink their usage for passenger transport.
He added the number of needless road incidents employing such cars, especially along the Takoradi-Cape Coast-Mankessim-Accra expressway, were scary.
Along one stretch, cars battled for passengers at high speed, endangering passengers and other road users.
In a weekend interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Adonteng sympathized with road collision victims and their families and pledged to eliminate the problem.
After visiting patients at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, he expressed regret over the loss of seven passengers in a horrific accident on Thursday night at Gomoa-Antseadze near Apam in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.
He was joined by Madam Pearl Adosu, Authority Head of Public Relations, Ms Linda Affotey Annang, Central Regional Head of the NRSA, and Assistant Superintendent of Police Beatrice Smith-Koree, Director of Mankessim Motor Traffic and Transport Division.
The tragedy killed seven individuals and injured seven, including a baby.
Two Sprinter minibuses from Takoradi and Mankessim to Accra crashed. On approaching Gomoa-Antseadze, the Takoradi bus attempted to pass the second bus at full speed, swerved off the road, and crashed into the woods, trapping several.
“We know how they behave on the road, we have alerted them, given them notices and warned them, but if they continue to misbehave and take people’s lives for granted, then we would be left with no option than to invoke our mandate by the law” Mr Adonteng said.
“We are backed by the Road Safety Act, (Act 933) and Legislative Instrument (LI) to take firm action. We have the modalities, and I’m sure when we go back to Accra, we would be taking policy decisions for the Ministry of Transport to consider in the coming days.”
He advised drivers to follow road safety signs to minimize accidents. He advised drivers to examine their cars before driving and not drink and drive.
Mr. Adonteng met with departed families at the Mankessim Police Station, Mercy Women’s Hospital, and Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital.
He met the family of 34-year-old DJ Ato Kwamena, who boarded the car from Ayensudo, near Elmina, to Gomoa-Antseadze and perished in the tragedy.
He consoled family of Sprinter bus driver’s buddy Solomon Agyare, 25, who was married with a kid.
When his commercial vehicle broke down, Agyare joined the Sprinter bus as companion to make money. He resided in Kasoa but was from Asante Akyem Amantia.
