Adentan-Pantang Road records 113 accidents in 10 months

One hundred and thirteen road accidents occurred on the main Adentan-Pantang Junction road in 10 months, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Adentan Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service has said.

The accidents, which occurred between August 2014 and June 2015, claimed eight lives, while 44 people and 61 others sustained serious and minor injuries, respectively.

As many as 50 of the accidents took place at the SDA Junction at Adentan, while 26 occurred at the Adentan Barrier Intersection, 17 at the Dodowa Junction and 20 at the Pantang Junction.

Seventeen pedestrians were knocked down at various sections of the road which does not have traffic lights or footbridges.

According to the MTTD of the Adentan Divisional Command, 103 private vehicles and 70 commercial vehicles were involved in the 113 accidents.

The dual carriage is part of the 5.6-kilometre highway linking the eastern part of the country to the Tetteh Quashie Interchange.

The Adentan Divisional Command has jurisdiction over the section of the road from Ayi Mensah to the SDA Junction at Adentan, with the Pantang Junction and the Adentan Barrier Intersection being other major crossings on that section of the  road.

The command’s jurisdiction also extends to the Dodowa Junction.

Causes

The Adentan Police Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Martin Ayiih, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, attributed the high involvement of private vehicles in the accidents to inexperience on the part of private vehicle owners who, after acquiring vehicles, failed to acquire the skills to drive them.

“A lot of people are acquiring vehicles and driving them, but they do not have the requisite skills and they lack care and consideration for other road users,” he said.

Speaking on challenges to officials of the MTTD at the Divisional Command, as well as motorists, Chief Supt Ayiih said the fact that the road was still under construction, with inadequate road furniture, posed a challenge.

He said the absence of street lights was a challenge at night for drivers because of the problem of invisibility.

He described the dual carriageway from Aburi, near the tollbooth, known as ‘Ghana Flag’,as a dangerous spot.

He explained that the concrete borders at the median of the road obscured the view of those driving from Accra, who wanted to make a U-turn into the lane leading back into the city.

Chief Supt Ayiih said the median of the highway, overgrown with weeds, was also a challenge, as the weeds obscured the view of drivers.

He said road markings and furniture such as traffic lights were needed to make the highway safe.

Background

A publication in the Saturday, August 23, 2014 issue of the Daily Graphic said 20 people lost their lives in 231 accidents at various sections of the road between January and June 2014.

It said the road had no markings or furniture to make it safe.

After the publication, road markings were made on the road but footbridges and traffic lights remained outstanding.

The Minister of Roads, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, in an interview published in the July 1, 2015 issue of the Daily Graphic, said safety was a priority to the ministry in the construction of roads.

However, the delay in the completion of the highway had also caused  delays in the completion of road furniture.

He said to solve the challenge, outstanding payments had been made to the contractors, so that work could progress to complete the highway.

Slipways for access into and off the highway into residential homes, traffic lights and footbridges remain outstanding.