The Legal Resources Centre, in partnership with the National Road Safety Authority, has organized a one-day sensitization workshop in Tamale for journalists and other stakeholders.
The training, which is the second of its kind, focused on speed management and the use of standard helmets for motorbike riders.
It forms part of efforts to raise awareness on road safety, promote helmet usage, and encourage responsible reporting.
Programme Officer at the Legal Resources Centre, Mr. Enock Jengre urged journalists to go beyond reporting crashes and embrace solution-oriented journalism that advocates for safer roads.
He explained that the initiative is supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, with a focus on helmet use and speed management.
Mr. Jengre noted that Ghana currently lacks a national standard on helmets, which poses a challenge to safety. However, a draft motorcycle helmet standards is being developed by a National Technical Committee for Automobiles led by the Ghana Standards Authority, of which the LRC is a member.
When finalised and gazetted, the standards would be made mandatory for use by all.
On his part, the Northern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority, Mr. Abdulai Bawa Ghamsah, said that although many people are aware of the dangers of not wearing helmets, they still refuse to use them. He advised against the use of factory helmets, stressing that they do not provide adequate protection in case of crashes.
Mr. Ghamsah lamented that many motorbike riders only carry helmets to avoid police checks and called for attitudinal change to ensure safety on the roads.
Source: https://fiilafmonline.com/road-safety-workshop-held-for-journalists-in-tamale/
