Some taxi drivers who operate within the Accra Metropolis have served notice of a planned strike on June 1, 2015.
The taxi drivers under the umbrella body of the Ghana Committed Drivers Association say activities at the Driver and Vehicular Licensing Authority (DVLA) is frustrating their business.
[contextly_sidebar id=”XXFeddaTDdEPc5y5bvvKJOykaeMyBy9S”]The DVLA last year served notice that it is no longer going to register commercial vehicles with no seat belts for passengers.
The DVLA’s acting Chief Executive; Rudolph Beckley explained that the new directive is in conformity with Section 119 of the Road Traffic Regulation Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180 which will help achieve a 50 percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries associated with vehicle accidents by 2020.
Speaking to Citi News however, the chairman of the Association Charles Mensah said the DVLA is gradually kicking them out of business, hence their decision to protest.”
He complained saying, “they [DVLA] are worrying us with the new biometric road worthy sticker, our license and the seat belts that should be put in all trotro seats.”
He indicated that their strike is aimed at forcing the DVLA to abolish all the new rules and regulations they have introduced.
Mr. Mensah was of the view that forcing drivers to fix seat belts in their vehicles will not end road crashes and deaths.
He argued that if the roads are fixed and the power crisis is resolved, the road accidents and its associated deaths will drastically reduce.
“All our roads are not good; it is not the seatbelt which is killing Ghanaians, it is not the drivers who are killing Ghanaians, it is the bad roads we are working on. Nowadays, they are not potholes; they are manholes that we are working on,” he fumed.
“Traffic lights are not working; visibility is poor due to the dumsor which is going on. All these are the atrocities we are going through so we will strike,” he said.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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