Question

You are being invited as an aspiring logistician to brief the participants on the best practices and quality control measures (safety regulations) governing the road transport industry and suggest ways to enforce same in order to minimize death on our roads. (Note: Do mention anybody or bodies that are to enforce the regulation). (Word count minimum 1000 )

Answer 1

Given the increasing scale of road safety issues, the following are some of the best practices and recommendations for the government to adopt and implement quickly:

-----------------------

Regulatory Framework:

Establish a National Road Transport Regulatory body with responsibility for restructuring and regulating the road transport industry.

-----------------------

Strategy for Drivers:

• Improve driver training and testing to enforce defensive driving and extended road tests with hazard perception checks.
• Institute and document appropriate requirements for upgrading the knowledge, skills, and capability of drivers through continuous education and refresher courses.
• Promote the establishment of model driving schools with adequate infrastructure and equipment in partnership with auto companies, private sector participants, and Non-Governmental Organisations.
• Increase the capacity for driver testing and licensing by a system of accreditation to improve the quality of testing and evaluation of drivers.
• Introduce the use of simulators for training drivers of high occupancy vehicles and hazardous goods vehicles.

-----------------------

Strategy for Vehicles:

• Enforce laws and regulations on the use of unauthorized vehicles for commercial purposes.
• Enforce laws and regulations on the use of seatbelts.
• Review existing legislation on vehicle modification and conversion to ensure the safe operation of such vehicles.
• Improve the compliance with regulations on modification and conversion of vehicles.
• Strengthen the capacity to inspect vehicles to ensure compliance with regulations, conditions, and operation.
• Regulate the management of tires and spare parts stocks by Motor Trading Firms and other dealers.

-----------------------

Strategy for improvement of Road Infrastructure:

• Mandate all new and rehabilitation road schemes to undergo safety audits during entire development.
• Implement hazardous spot improvement programs.
• Ensure the best global practices for road safety are incorporated wherever appropriate.
• Incorporate road safety considerations into land use and transportation planning to minimize road-user conflicts, especially in the urban areas and settlements along roads.
• Promote the installation or posting of appropriate markings and signage, including realistic speed limits at appropriate locations.

-----------------------

Strategy for Intermediate Means of Transport:

• Enforce laws and regulations on the wearing of crash helmets.
• Provide and maintain dedicated tracks for the use of IMTs to prevent IMTs from sharing the road with motorized traffic.
• Create awareness for drivers of motorized and non-motorized vehicles on the safe use of the road.
• Enact appropriate legislation for the acquisition, licensing, and operation of IMTs.
• Enforce laws and regulations on the use of motorcycles for commercial transport operations.

-----------------------

Strategy for Pedestrians and Vulnerable Road Users:

• Incorporate pedestrian safety facilities in road planning, design, construction, and roads and provide for their unique needs and requirements.
• Enact and enforce effective pedestrian safety regulations.
• Recognize VRUs as being as crucial as the motorized vehicle in the planning, design, construction, and operation of roads and their unique needs and requirements.
• Update existing standards and develop new standards, guidelines, and recommended practices in line with accepted international practices to facilitate safe accommodation of VRUs.
• Provide and maintain walkways, lay-bys, safe pedestrian crossing points, and traffic calming measures on all roads and highways.
• Plan, design, construct, and upgrade roadways per set specifications to minimize the potential for conflict in the traffic environment.
• Keep pedestrian walkways free of hawkers, immobilized vehicles, and other dangers posing obstacles.
• Institute measures to ensure a sustainable road safety education program for pedestrians and VRUs.

-----------------------

Strategy for Road Safety Legislation:

• Review and strengthen existing regulations and introduce new ones to include stricter penalties.
• Provide increased and sustainable financial assistance to law enforcement agencies to help with the enforcement of new regulations.
• Criminalize road safety violations through regulations on road safety statutes.
• Develop written guidelines for prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to use in prosecuting road safety offenses.
• Introduce spot fines that should be systematically improved to minimize illegal pre-trial intervention and diversion tactics.
• Ensure fairness and justice in road safety law enforcement, prosecution, and court administration of offenses for deterrent effect.
• Define specific levels of severity in the penalty provisions of road safety regulations.
• Accomplish through legislation, sentencing objectives with the least cost to society.

-----------------------

Strategy for Enforcement:

• Apply modern technology to facilitate the processes for road safety enforcement.
• Establish education and training programs, including applied technology, for law enforcement agencies to improve their capacity at enforcement.
• Provide equipment usage and video guidelines and training to law enforcement agencies.
• Establish "free call" lines for citizens' to use in reporting offenses such as aggressive, unsafe, and impaired driving to the law enforcement agency.
• Encourage law enforcement agencies to collaborate with other affiliated stakeholders to ensure safety on the road.
• Set up a traffic enforcement unit for effective enforcement of road traffic regulations under the NRSC.

-----------------------

Strategy for Post Road Traffic Crash Care:

• Establish a National Trauma Management System for pre-hospital and hospital-based care to provide quick and effective treatment to road traffic crash victims.
• Train targeted groups in pre-hospital injury care interventions.
• Upgrade and equip strategic hospitals along the major highways to handle road traffic victims.
• Improve coordination and cooperation between various entities such as Health Care Centres, National Ambulance Service (NAS), MTTU, Ghana Red Cross, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other Emergency Service Organizations.
• Incorporate basic principles in First Aid in the syllabi of driving schools, Police Training Courses, and primary schools.

-----------------------

Strategy for Road Safety Database:

• Improve and standardize the reporting format after the occurrence of road traffic crashes.
• Improve the storage and accessibility of all data relevant to road traffic crashes such as vehicles involved, and road environment.
• Develop a comprehensive road safety information database needed for operating effective safety management systems and programs at the national, regional, metropolitan, municipal, and district levels.
• Educate the general public and the responsible agencies on the need to report and document road traffic crashes.

-----------------------

Strategy for Funding for Road Safety Programmes:

• Determine a fixed percentage and enforce the provisions in the road safety Commission Act 567 from Insurance and the Road Fund for funding road safety activities.
• Encourage corporate support for funding road safety activities.
• Institute appropriate mechanism for apportioning fines from road traffic offenses to support road safety programs.
• Develop other innovative measures for funding road safety activities.

-----------------------

Strategy for Research into Road Safety Issues:

• Promote holistic and integrated road safety research initiatives to guide policy formulation and interventions.
• Encourage own-account or sponsored research into relevant or critical road safety issues.
• Develop mechanisms for consolidating and disseminating road safety research findings.
• Identify sustainable funding sources to finance research projects.

-----------------------

Strategy on Inter-Agency Collaboration and Coordination:

• Empower the NRSC to ensure compliance of approved road safety programs and activities by the critical Stakeholder Implementing Agencies.
• Accord priority to and promote road safety issues as a significant component of stakeholder organizations' functions.
• Enhance the capacity of the NRSC to facilitate effective coordination and collaboration among stakeholders.

-----------------------

Strategy on Human Resource Development for Road Safety Activities:

• Ensure adequate road safety capacity development at all levels of society for valid promotion and implementation of road safety activities.
• Institute a system that would encourage specialization in the various disciplines in road safety.
• Train enough personnel in safety issues for targeted stakeholders.

-----------------------

Strategy for Monitoring and Evaluation of Road Safety Activities:

• Define and develop credible performance indicators for assessing the effectiveness and impact of road safety interventions.
• Institute efficient and effective monitoring and evaluation procedures for assessing the performance and impact of road safety interventions.

-----------------------

Strategy on Road Safety Awareness:

• Raise awareness of the socio-economic implications of road traffic crashes to all levels of society.
• Create a sense of shared responsibility and accountability from liable agencies among the populace.
• Enlighten various road user groups concerning their roles and responsibilities for minimizing road traffic crashes.
• Raise awareness among critical decision and policymakers.
• Incorporate road safety education at all levels of the educational system.

-----------------------

The Implementation Framework:

The overall responsibility for the formulation and validation of the Road Safety Policy lies with the Government of Ghana through the Ministry responsible for road transport. The Ministry should create the requisite enabling environment for all stakeholders to play their relevant roles in the policy's implementation. As mandated by Act 567 (1999), the National Road Safety Commission has the responsibility for coordinating all the safety activities. All relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), Quasi-Government Organisations (QGOs), Private Sector Organisations (PSOs) both corporate and non-corporate, NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Communities and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and members of the General Public should be involved in the implementation of the policy.

----------------------------------

Please Please up vote this answer. your up vote is so valuable to me. Please. Thank you so much.