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Mr Robert Sarbah, the National Vice Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, has called on motorists to exercise the greatest caution to avoid accidents during the yuletide and New Year.

He urged drivers not to take undue advantage of the influx of passengers during the Christmas and New Year festivities to overspend- which might lead to road accidents.

Mr Sarbah, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday, also cautioned drivers to desist from wrongful overtaking and drunk driving.

He said the the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180 section 118 requires all drivers to rest for 30 minutes after driving continuously for four hours.

He said any driver who violates the LI would be rested by the police and placed before the court saying such a driver would be fined 25 penalty units or jailed for not more than 30 days or sentenced to both.

The Vice Chairman said drivers and vehicle owners must always ensure that their vehicles are in good shapes at all times, since faulty vehicles also contribute to road accidents.

He appealed to commuters to report any misconduct on the part of any suspicious driver; such as drunk driving to the Union’s office or the nearest police station for redress.

He also advised commuters to desist from putting drivers under undue pressure to speed up simply because they want to get to their destination faster.

Mr Sarbah appealed the government to strengthen the Ghana Standards Authority so as to prevent the importation of fake spare parts into the country since fake spares also contribute to road accidents.

The Vice Chairman also appealed to government to intensify the fight to combat unlicensed guns in the system as armed robbers who possess such weapons use them to rob and kill innocent travelling passengers.

Mr Sarbah on behalf of the Union wished all drivers and commuters an accident-free Christmas and happy New Year.