Impact Souls Mission, in collaboration with Intercity State Transport Company and National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), has launched a campaign dubbed ‘The Accident Victim’s Support’, which is aimed at supporting people who have survived road accidents.
Rev Ismaila Awudu (3rd R), Board chair of NRSC, followed by Rev Cyril Crabbe, leader of Mission Souls Mission, and other executives after the launch
The campaign is to solicit financial support from multinational companies and individuals to assist persons who have become victims of road accidents and are left by society to suffer.
The Board chairman of the NRSC and chairman for the occasion, Rev. Ismaila Awudu, said
“it’s time the Ghana Police Service intensified operation of arresting drivers who drive using mobile phone, whatsapping and facebooking while driving.”
Rev Ismaila said the use of mobile phones, whatsapping and facebooking by drivers had contributed to the death of many Ghanaians and the practice must be barred to protect the lives of innocent passengers.
He added that to reduce road traffic crashes, the Police Service and other security services must up their game in ensuring that recalcitrant drivers who violate the law are arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent.
“You see, issues of road crashes should be a paramount concern to all Ghanaians, and the media must support this campaign,” Rev Ismaila stated.
The Board chair said national statistics on road accidents are quite scary as men are dying and living widows and children behind.
“It is time we all rise up to champion the political will and fight road accident as a social canker,” he said.
He called on Ghanaians to support the campaign by donating any amount to support the programme aimed at alleviating the plight of road accident victims.
The Head of Operations of the National Ambulance Service, Mr Foster Asong-Bridjan, said the socio-economic cost of road traffic crashes is estimated at 1.6% of the Gross Domestic Product.
“This is a huge cost to the nation, considering the needs of our country in various sectors of the economy,” he said.
Mr Ansong-Bridjan called on pedestrians to be conscious of their safety when crossing road.
The leader of Impact Souls Mission, Rev Cyril Crabbe, said, “We live in a country where people don’t believe what they hear but what they see so I took it upon myself to get drivers to engage accident victims and the kind of stress they go through.
“So far, we have visited 37 Military Hospital, Kasoa Hospital, Rock Hospital and Korle-Bu, just to mention a few,” he said.
Rev Crabbe said beginning next month he would embark on a nationwide tour to solicit support for the ‘I Endorse Accident Victim Support’ campaign to create awareness on the need to reduce road accidents.