Part II examined driving standards in Ghana and the UK. Part III will look at obstructions on our roads.
Let’s start with the issues of broken-down or abandoned vehicles and other objects on our roads.
Many lives have been lost in Ghana due to moving traffic running into stationary vehicles on our roads, and it appears the authorities are doing absolutely nothing about it. So, what is the use of all the titles that most of us hold if we are incapable of doing what even a class one chap can do? That is, by getting rid of the obstructions on our roads and thereby, saving lives! What is the difficulty in this?
I lost a friend who was a colleague lecturer in a sister university in Ghana a few years ago on his way up north from Accra when he ran into a stationary vehicle at a sharp curve.
I had my own experience of the devastating consequences of abandoned vehicles on the road somewhere in 2005. Whilst I was still in the UK, I bought my first tipper truck in 2004, which at some point was in the custody of my childhood friend (name withheld) who was then a teacher in Bolga, but currently working with an energy company based in Techiman in the Bono East Region.
Somewhere in 2005 on a Friday afternoon, the vehicle broke down in Bolga town. When my friend informed me of this incident, I directed him to tow the truck away from the roadside to a safe place. He retorted that my suggestion was alien to Ghanaian practice, since it amounted to a waste of money. We had a heated argument over the phone, to the extent that I asked him whether it was his money that was to be wasted. He defied my orders and the vehicle was never towed away.
Two days later (Sunday), I had a phone call from him. He repeatedly mentioned my name accompanied by expressions of sorrow (Hassan hmm, Hassan hmm). I threatened to cut him off the phone if he failed to talk.
He proceeded to inform me that while in church that day, a member of the congregation approached him to sympathise with him on the tragic accident involving his broken-down tipper truck on Friday night. Since my friend was in the dark regarding this incident, he enquired from the sympathiser as to what happened. The sympathiser then explained to him how a motorcyclist with a female pillion rider (passenger) who was heavily pregnant, crashed into his broken-down vehicle on Friday night leading to the loss of one life with the other in critical condition at the Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga. This incident did not end our friendship.
The last time I met this my bosom friend was during breakfast at Modern City Hotel in Tamale, when we accidentally bumped into each other.
In the UK, there is a breakdown cover that one can subscribe to and call on for roadside assistance when the need arises. It has levels just like a motor insurance policy having third-party, third-party fire & theft and comprehensive. Ghana may have to consider introducing a similar service.
Even with the above breakdown cover available in the UK, the Police are usually present at the scene of a breakdown or an obstruction on the road within a few minutes to control the traffic and hence, ensure the safety of motorists.
If a motorist has no breakdown cover, the Police will engage the services of a vehicle recovery company to tow the faulty vehicle to a safe location. Hardly will the Police in the UK drive past a broken-down vehicle, except when they are responding to an emergency call, in which case they will radio for a nearby patrol team to go to the aid of the distressed motorist. Even when there is debris like pieces of a burst tyre on the road, the UK Police will stop the traffic and clear the debris, since the debris can easily cause an accident.
On several occasions, I have personally seen the Ghana Police Service drive past broken-down vehicles that have been abandoned at dangerous sections of our roads without doing anything about them.
On a recent drive to Accra for the funeral of a colleague lecturer father on Saturday, 7th March 2026, one of the passengers in my car, Prof. Awaisu Imurana Braimah, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, UEW, upon seeing a broken-down articulator truck on a dangerous section of the road remarked aptly that these vehicles (articulator trucks), have the penchant of breaking down at unsafe locations.
The way forward:
Regional Police Commanders should be held responsible for any accident caused by abandoned vehicles or other obstructions on the road in their jurisdiction.
With this, the Regional Commanders will have to collaborate with Roadside Recovery providers and enter into some kind of contract with them to render the required services. This will also generate some income for the Police Service.
On the spot payment is not necessary, since the service provider will have a yard for the storage of the towed vehicles. The towing fee, together with any penalty(s) accrued arising out of any additional daily storage charges, must be paid before any vehicle is released. These charges should be punitive, so that motorists will take steps immediately following a breakdown to tow their vehicle(s) away in order to avoid the said charges.
To ensure a successful implementation of a policy of this nature, the Police will have to move away from the current outmoded static barriers (which only causes delays and inconvenience, and which criminals can also easily avoid), to round the clock mobile highways patrols. With this, the Police are more likely to spot obstructions on the road on time and take the necessary measures to ensure that our roads are safe.
Part IV loading ……
Alhassan Salifu Bawah
(son of an upright peasant farmer)
