Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has called on drivers to adopt defensive driving and obey traffic rules to help reduce road accidents in the country.
He also cautioned them against drunk-driving, speeding and over-loading of vehicles and said that the nation could not afford losing precious lives and property through reckless driving.
Prof Adarkwa was addressing the closing session of a two-week training workshop, jointly organized by the KNUST Transport Office and the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) for 120 drivers of the University, in Kumasi.
Topics treated included "road signs and observation", "safety in driving", "customer relations", "the general knowledge of driving" and
"transportation, driving and communication skills."
Available statistics from the MTTU show that a total of 533 people died and 2,960 people received injuries in 3,516 road accidents recorded between January and June this year, nationwide.
In all, 4,841 vehicles, comprising 2,466 commercial ones, 2,065 private and 310 motor bikes were involved.
Prof. Adarkwa advised the participants to take the training seriously to enable them to build their capacity and improve on their driving skills.