The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) is leading a coordinated enforcement action aimed at minimising risks associated with travel this festive season. The Authority in collaboration with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, has intensified vehicle inspections on major highways in the Ashanti Region. One such joint operation has been undertaken at Yawkwei in the Asante-Akim South Municipality during a thorough inspection of vehicles and documents of motorists conducted on the Konongo-Nkawaw stretch. The team inspected the conditions of vehicles to ensure they were worthy for the road and also engaged the passengers on the need for the exercise and reminded them of their roles in ensuring safety on the road. Motorists who did not have reflectors and other relevant equipment were made to buy on the spot while others, especially heavy-duty trucks with proscribed lamps above the windscreens were asked to remo ve them. Regulation 65 of the Road Traffic Regulation (LI 2180) prohibits the use of proscribed lamps which often blurs the vision of other road users. Mr. Kwame Koduah Atuahene, Director for Regulation, Inspection and Compliance, NRSA, said the three public sector implementing agencies had been conducting such exercises regularly and that it had been intensified in response to the increasing vehicular movements during the yuletide. He said the Authority had safety inspectors stationed at major lorry terminals whose duties were to ensure that vehicles leaving those terminals met the minimum safety requirements. 'We have chosen to come to the major highways trying to target vehicles that are not coming from the terminals,' he explained. According to him the Authority and its partners conducted an exercise about a year ago to clamp down on vehicles with proscribed lamps which was successful, but the phenomenon seemed to be coming back hence the exercise was also focusing on addressing that practice. The a bsence of retro-reflective tapes and fire extinguishers, he disclosed, were the common violations identified during the exercise and stressed a need for motorists to prioritise their own safety and that of other road users. Mr Kwasi Agyenim Boateng, the Regional Director of NRSA, underlined the need for drivers to do their own safety inspections on their vehicles every day before hitting the road. He said the spot inspection by the team served as a second layer of the safety net to help reduce the risks of road crashes with the ultimate goal of saving lives. The Regional Director reminded motorists that they had a duty to make it a priority to observe all road traffic regulations to make the roads safer for everybody. Source: Ghana News Agency