One accident too many along the Accra-Cape Coast highway

On May 30, 2023, 16 people were confirmed dead, while 40 others sustained various degrees of injuries at Gomoa Okyereko on the Accra-Cape Coast highway in the Central Region, in an accident involving a petrol tanker and a bus.
According to reports, the accident occurred after a head-on collision between the two vehicles at about 5 am on Tuesday.
An eyewitness who witnessed the accident told the Ghana National Fire Service that the Yutong bus driver occasionally veered off his lane all through the trip.
The Winneba Fire Service Commander DO II narrating what happened to the media said, “So he [tanker driver] rather came into the lane of the Yutong because at the time the Yutong driver had also entered his lane,”
The impact was great on the passenger sides of both vehicles, a situation which got “the tanker driver mashed.”
The Fire Service Commander explained that “other passengers on the passenger side of the Yutong were also dismembered, in fact, they were cut into pieces.”
Speaking on the AM Show on Joynews, he clarified, “We have been able to rescue the rescuable lives first, which we have done. We have sent them to the trauma and specialist hospital.”
The bus was travelling from Abidjan to Buduburam while the tanker was filled with petrol, travelling from Accra heading towards Takoradi.
In the considered opinion of this newspaper, the recent accident on the Cape Coast- Takoradi highway, has once again brought to the fore the need for urgent action to address the main course of accidents on most of the country’s highway.
It is stating the obvious that there is the need for comprehensive measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
This accident is not an isolated one but is indicative of a larger problem facing Ghana’s road transportation.
To reduce the number of accidents in the country, especially head-on-collision, there is a need for urgent action to be taken by the government to not only increase the road network but to expand the existing ones into dual carriages.
In our view, the road network requires significant infrastructure upgrade. The government must invest in upgrading the existing roads, this include, expanding the lanes, fixing streets lights etc, this will ensure that cars can travel safely and at higher speeds, reducing the likelihood of accidents.
Without a doubt, some of the accidents on our roads are due to human error, yet no one has been prosecuted. An account of the eye witness, which was corroborated by the Commanding Fire Officer, clearly showed the accident at Gomoa Okyereko, was caused by the Yutong Driver, who was veering off his road throughout the trip.
We have consistently maintained that crimes continue to fester in the country because people are not punished for bad behaviour.
We extend our condolence to the bereaved families, and wish the injured speedy recovery.