Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, a heavy and light-duty automobile company, has organised a road safety education for 250 heavy and light vehicle drivers as a way of giving back to society.
According to Daniel Nseboah Amoah, Head of Human Resource (HR) at Zonda Tec Ghana, who spoke on behalf of the Chief Executive (CEO) of the company, Yang Yang, the purpose of the education is to lessen road carnage, preserve the lives of drivers and pedestrians during and after the Easter festivities.
Speaking to the B&FT after the exercise held in Tema, he said drivers are key stakeholders in Zonda Tec’s business of supplying commercial vehicles in West Africa, and therefore, need to be trained to be more professional on the road while inculcating in them the culture of maintenance.
“Zonda Tec deems it necessary for drivers of these vehicles to be professionally enlightened, taking refresher courses,” he said.
He added that Zonda Tec’s vision of becoming the biggest supplier of commercial vehicles in West Africa, leading in heavy and light-duty automobile supply, cannot be achieved without drivers.
He elaborated it is imperative for drivers to be up-to-speed with current developments regarding their profession, saying: “You may have been to driving schools and gained vast experience, but participating in road safety programmes, such as this, is the sure way you can further enhance your skills”.
He said as part of its corporate social responsibility, the company, through its road safety education exercises, has trained over 5,000 drivers on road manners since 2020.
The event, which was on the theme ‘A Safer Drive for a Memorable Easter’, brought together drivers of Zonda Tec clients, Heavy Duty Drivers Association, Madina Tipper Drivers Association, among others.
The training included an interactive session, where practical lessons were taught with the assistance of PowerPoint presentations.
Interacting with the drivers, Inspector Richard Timinkah of the Tema Regional Police Command indicated that although there has been a considerable decrease in road crashes as a result of adherence to safety rules, a lot more needs to be done in the areas of education and sensitisation.
He cautioned drivers to not only be vigilant when driving, but also always take responsibility for their safety and that of other road users.
Gabriel Adu-Sarpong, Head of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation – National Road Safety Authority, during his presentation on the topic ‘Driver Negligence and Lack of Responsibility on the Road’, revealed that although some accidents are caused by act of nature, human error – including improper overtaking, inattentiveness, driver distraction, poor eyesight, stress, fatigue, drink driving, to mention a few – account for 96 percent of vehicle collisions on Ghanaian roads, saying: “Most of these road crashes can be prevented, adhering to road safety rules and regulations”.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Amoah, cautioned the drivers against reckless driving.
