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| Accra, Ghana |
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bortianor/Ngleshie-Amanfro, Bright
E. K. Demordzi, has stated that if Information Communication Technology (ICT) devices are being utilised properly, it would ensure more safety on the major roads.
According to Mr. Demordzi, some of the accidents recorded on the major roads were a result of the wrong use of some ICT devices such as the mobile phone.
"It is a common practice to see drivers on highways driving whilst communicating with their cell phones. A number of recorded road accidents have been attributed to distractions arising from the use of cell phones," he said.
The MP for Bortianor/Ngleshie Amanfro made this pronouncement on the floor of Parliament House yesterday, when delivering a statement to commemorate the World's Telecommunication and ICT Day.
The World's Telecommunication and ICT Day is celebrated all over the world on the 17th of May every year. The celebration was designated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The organisation has about 193 countries as members, including Ghana.
The theme for this year's celebration is "ICT and Road Safety", and Mr. Demordzi believes that such a theme could not have been any better, since road safety had become a global concern which needed to be addressed.
He said the idea was aimed at leveraging ICT to improve on road safety across the globe.
Advancing his argument, Mr. Demordzi said about 1.3 million people die through road accidents, out of which 20-50 million got injured, mainly in the developing countries around the world.
In Ghana alone, he said, 2,249 people lost their lives, while 14,181 got injured in 2012, according to statistics released by the Motor Traffic Transport Unit (MTTU).
He lamented that in his constituency, the major road from Mallam Junction to Winneba records, on the average, one road accident a day.
This, he noted was worrying, and expressed the belief that "ICT can assist authorities improve on road safety in Ghana."
His statement was supported by some Members of the House, who argued that such a statement could not have been admitted at a better time, considering the number of road accidents the nation had witnessed in recent times.
The MP for Adaklu, Mr. Agbodza Kwame Governs, said the importance of ICT would be best achieved, if, and when, its prospects are applied to other sectors of the economy, like in other countries in the world.
He said doing so would further foster the development and proper achievement of ICT.
On his part, the MP for Okaikwei Central, Mr. Patrick Yaw Boamah, said he was disturbed by the poor services being rendered by telecommunication companies in the country, since "people pay so much for services that they do not enjoy."
He opined that the telecommunication industry does not invest in the necessary areas they ought to have invested, a situation, he bemoaned, was having a negative impact on the economy.
To that effect, Mr. Yaw Boamah called on the Ministry of Communications to enforce the existing telecommunication laws, to compel players in the industry to do the right thing.
The Chronicle Ghana