Gbarnga, Bong County – So far, over 61 people have died in road accidents between January 2017 to June 2018 and over 400 have experienced serious injuries, according to figures from the chief of traffic of the Bong County police detachment.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
Passengers are blaming drivers for speeding leading to fatal accidents.
The Monrovia-Ganta highway is noted as hotspots for road crashes in Liberia.
Fifty-two-year-old Monica Bedell, who lost her daughter recently in one of the fatal car crashes between Salala and Gbarnga, blamed the driver of the private vehicle for over speeding, hence his inability to control the car when it was hit by the cargo truck, which came its way.
According to Mrs. Bedell, though it was obvious that the cargo truck veered onto the path of the private car, leading to the accident, more casualties were recorded as a result of the speeding private car.
She also blamed the police for allowing heavy trucks to drive on highways at night.
“I want the government to ban all the heavy trucks from traveling at night since most of the drivers get tired and unable to control the trucks,” she said.
She added, “Some sleep in the process and as a result lose control of the trucks. Passengers are losing so many people on our roads, it’s terrible, and we need to curb it”
“Today I have lost my only daughter who would have been 18 in August this year through a road accident and nobody cares about what happens to me. No amount of sympathy and well wishes will bring my daughter back; I’m sad”
In a related development, 37-year-old Precious Williams died instantly at the Behla Bridge in December 2017 when a Toyota Urvan bus she was traveling on from Ganta to Monrovia burst its front tyre.
The vehicle somersaulted several times in the bush, hitting a rock in the process.
Her 70-year-old mother, Deddeh Benson, who had partially gone blind, was sad that her daughter could not give her a grandchild before departing.
“She told me she was going on a business trip and on her return she would visit and inform me on her upcoming marriage ceremony,” she said.
Continuing, she added: “I woke up the next day only to be told of her death by her friends”. I still don’t believe my daughter is dead, I want her to come back and take care of me” she said, as she sobbed.
According to Augustine Kanneh, chief of traffic of the Bong County police detachment, figures collated on the numerous road crashes recorded on the highway show that most drivers do not act in accordance with road signs.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by the traffic division of the police on the above crashes have revealed multiple contributory factors.
The most prevalent among the factors being negligence and disregard for road traffic regulations on the part of the drivers involved in the crashes, particularly excessive speeding (usually referred to as over-speeding) and overtaking without due care for on-coming vehicles (referred to as wrongful overtaking).
He said other contributing factors are deficiencies associated with road infrastructure.
Inspector Kanneh was emphatic that the absence of road signs, roadway markings, street lighting and safe crossing facilities for pedestrians are issues that continue to find space in the list of crash contributory factors.
“I cannot talk about the road crashes and not talk about the danger confronting motorists at the appropriate traffic management and safety signs and expose motorists to open trenches and physical objects without any protection”.
Inspector Kanneh said some of the contributory factors to the avoidable road crashes are the non-roadworthy vehicles, unqualified drivers and gross indiscipline by majority of road users.
“The task of ensuring safety on our roads is a shared and collective responsibility,” he said.
Kanneh said the traffic division of the police, as the lead agency for road safety management in the country, is consistently at the forefront carrying out education and sensitization programs across the country and constantly engaging stakeholders at all levels to take the necessary steps in their various endeavors to prevent human deaths and injuries on our roads.
Kanneh also said, on their part, they are doing everything possible within their mandate to prevent road accidents but most of the crashes occurring on the roads could have been prevented if all road safety stakeholders and parties involved acted in compliance with the existing safety procedures, standards and regulations.