As part of efforts to keep motor riders safe on the roads, 104 private motorcyclists have been trained to act as road safety ambassadors.
The riders were drawn from the Ghana Courier Service regulation body in Accra and Tema.
The project, called Police Certified Riding Ambassadors, is the first of its kind and a Ghana Police Service initiative to help reduce the number of accidents, injuries and deaths attributed to motorcycle use in the country.
The Director General of the Department of Automobile Traffic and Transport (MTTD), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Felix Fosu-Agyeman, said this project is one initiative of the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare which aims to raise awareness among riders of the need to comply with safety regulations road.
He stated that the riders supervised by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were guided through an orientation overview of the concept of their roles, programs, ethics, customer service, highway code, defensive driving, among other things.
The Director General said certified Police riders will relay road safety messages to their fellow riders to comply with traffic regulations.
“They must be examples of road discipline that other riders can emulate and stop under the command of red lights and police hand signals,” he added.
DCOP Fosu-Agyeman explained that the project will be replicated in all the 16 regions to ensure safety on the roads.
“The police riding ambassadors would also serve as a link for provide information and intelligence to the police under the ongoing Police Action Against Riders Indiscipline (PAARI)”, he added.
Police Director General for Public Affairs DCOP Kwesi Ofori urged riders to abide by the rules of the road to ensure that lives and property are saved.
They would help prevent riders from driving through traffic lights and on roadsides to ensure roads are accident-free.
He said that as motorcyclists they would serve as ambassadors and role models for other motorcyclists to promote safety in the country, adding, “It is a national crusade and campaign to ensure that our goals are achieved.”
He said the riders know the communities perfectly and would help promote safety on our roads.
However, DCOP Ofori advised drivers to consider their work as a voluntary service and to devote themselves to their duty of improving the country’s image.
The event was attended by senior police officers of the MTTD, executives of the National Courier Association Ghana and officials of Nationwide Traffic Management Enforcement Limited, among others.
