MOTORCYCLE...Bad master in U/W Region (MIRROR, NOV 14, PAGE 29)

From Chris Nunoo, Wa

Motorcycle riders in the Upper West Region who think they are smart and always try to outwit the police by not adhering to motor traffic regulations are now paying dearly for their lawlessness.
These motorists flout motor traffic regulations with impunity by failing to register their motorcycles, failing to acquire licences and failing to wear crash helmet when riding. Eventually, they end up in motor accidents, resulting in various degrees of serious injuries and deaths.
These accidents are so rampant that it is being suggested that motorcycles kill people more than diseases in the region.
One sad aspect of the situation is that after the accidents, the victims and the cases are left hanging, because they fail to report such cases to the police for fear of their motorcycles being impounded, or the rider being arrested and consequently prosecuted.
Motorcycles, which have now been acclaimed in the Upper West Region as a major means of transport, were first introduced into the area by missionaries and the Government for government agencies until some individuals managed to acquire and possessed them.
Presently, the Upper West Region has been invaded with all shapes and sizes of motorcycles, ranging from such brand names as Sukida, Yamaha, AG, among others, especially with the increase in population, courtesy the students of the Wa Polytechnic and the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS).
Motorcycle mechanics and wholesalers, as well as wayside fuel dealers, have also emerged from every nook and cranny of the region.
Majority of these riders are the youth who prefer to hang their crash helmets on the motorcycle while riding, or would not even buy and wear it at all. Others also pretend to be wearing them anytime they spotted police officers approaching.
On several occasions, this attitude by the riders has led to clashes between the people and the police which has made the police to decide to sit back and watch, but strictly enforce the laws when cases of motorcycle accidents were brought before it.
Out of the 27 reported cases of accidents in the region which involve 43 vehicles as at March this year, almost all were motorcycle-related accidents.
Even though this trend reduced from 43 in 2008 to 27 in 2009, deaths from these accidents rather rose from 23 in 2008 to 24 in 2009, with 32 people sustaining various degrees of injuries.
Citing some fresh accident cases which occurred just last Saturday to support his argument, the Upper West regional Police Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), DSP John Ferguson Dzineku, told The Mirror that on November 7, 2009 at about 7 p.m, the police received a report of a motorcycle accident involving a 38-year-old man at Nakore, near Wa.
He said on reaching the scene, preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the victim, Zimpa Moses, who was riding a motorcycle with registration number UW 3183 Z and who died on the spot, could have survived the accident if he had his crash helmet on.
He rather had his helmet hanging on the motorcycle while riding.
DSP Dzineku said a post-mortem report indicated that the victim died from head injuries.
He said the motorcycle had since been impounded by the police, pending further investigations.
In another development, which also occurred in the morning of the same day, DSP Dzineku said a 13-year-old girl, Rahinatu Iddrisu, who was riding a bicycle also met her untimely death when she accidentally rode into the rear tyre of a moving articulated truck with registration number AS 509 U, which was being driven by one Seidu Nuhu.
He said Rahinatu sustained head injuries and was pronounced dead at the Wa Regional Hospital.
The MTTU Commander reiterated his call to motorcycle riders to abide by the rules and regulations such as wearing of crash helmets, registering their motorcycles and also acquiring licences through proper means.
“When the rider has all these, there would be no need for the police to prevent anyone from riding,” he said, pointing out that the police is around to protect lives and properties of the people.