Els: MBN360 News
The Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Hon. Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as Kwame A-Plus, has questioned the speculations regarding the ban on the Toyota Voxy car, stressing that it is not the main cause of accidents in Ghana.
Kwame A plus asserted that the major cause of accidents in Ghana is due to the state of our roads, which have become death traps.
He explained how the bad condition of roads in the country, emphasizing the fact that the majority do not have street lights, are not properly marked, and broken-down vehicles are left unattended in the middle of the roads.
He added his voice to the recent accident that occurred on the Accra-Kumasi highly which claimed the lives of ten people.
Even though he attributed the road accidents mainly to the poor road networks, emphasizing that the greater cause of the excessive accidents is due to the poor nature of the road and not particularly due to the type of cars.
Although the Member of Parliament agreed to the negligence of some drivers, which involves speeding and wrongful overtaking, he reiterated the fact that roads are the major cause of accidents in the country.
Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central
A plus asserted that the Accra-Kumasi highway has led to the death of more people in Ghana than HIV, which poses a serious concern with respect to the state of Ghana’s roads.
The Member of Parliament raised concerns about normalizing the recurrence of accidents in the country, citing that perhaps people have conformed to it.
He made this assertion as he traced it back to the country’s national anthem, which recognizes “the heritage won through the blood and toil of our forefathers”.
He pointed out that Ghanaians might have subconsciously appreciated that in the context of the accidents, which he seeks to challenge.
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He further questioned the ban on the Toyota Voxy car, as he went on to further reflect on the numerous accidents the VIP has equally encountered. He questioned why there were no talks of banning the VIP buses if the efforts were aimed at preventing accidents.
Honorable Obeng questioned why situations are left unattended until they escalate into bigger problems. This, therefore, necessitates a change in mentality for Ghanaians. “We have subconsciously embraced suffering and loss as part of our reality, always waiting for tragedy to pile up before action is taken”, he said.
The Member of Parliament asked an intriguing question of whether the “blood and toil” of our fathers has not reached the threshold. This presents further debate as to whether the Toyota Voxy should be banned or not.
The involvement of other cars in recurrent accidents, especially the VIP raises concern about not just the cars in particular but the roads. Those who advocate for the ban on the Toyota Voxy believe it leads to speeding and, therefore, results in accidents.
Meanwhile, those who criticize the attempt to ban it cite instances of accident cases involving the VIP’ sand other vehicles.
This has triggered a debate on the real cause of accidents in the country. Honorable Kwame Obeng, who has added his voice to the ongoing debates, noted that the real cause of the accident is the roads.
Correct Maintenance of Roads to Curb Road Accidents
Roads should be fixed, broken down streetlights restored, and streetlights should be set in areas that do not have them. The public must also be educated on the need to promptly take broken-down vehicles off the streets.
Measures should also be in place to enhance these. Honorable Obeng, along with other Ghanaian’s have expressed dissatisfaction towards the current state of the Kumasi-Accra highway.
Banning the Toyota Voxy, therefore, will not be the actual solution to the menace. The Member of Parliament asserted that attention should be shifted to the roads and measures taken to address the issue.
He stressed the need not to make a proper assessment of the frequent rise of accidents and take the bold step towards preventing them.
