Several marketers in Duala Market blame the Traffic Division of the Liberia National Police for the uncontrollable wave of accident-related deaths across the country due to its alleged failure to properly inspect and arrest motorcyclists and vehicles that constantly breach traffic rules.
The market women complain that many vehicles and motorbikes plying the streets are not road-worthy, but are allowed by traffic police for little or nothing, endangering the public.
They call on the Police through its traffic division to be more robust in the inspection of faulty motorbikes and vehicles across the country in order to save lives.
They note that there are too many deaths as a result of road accidents, only because operators neglect in servicing their cars and bikes.
The marketers lament that the situation is saddening because often people are killed in accidents by bikes and vehicles that don’t have view mirrors and good breaks, something they describe as serious emergency that needs to be mitigated.
Speaking in an interview with this paper on Thursday, March 17, 2022, a female marketer Madam Joan P. Yormie, said the Liberia National Police through its traffic division is responsible for the wave of accident-related deaths because it has failed to properly inspect vehicles and bikes plying the streets and punish those caught in violating the traffic law.
“Do you know that a traffic police officer will see a motorcyclist that has no break, helmet, view mirror, riding in Sinkor and they will take little or nothing from that person and allow them to go free, knowing full well they are death traps?” Madam Yormie explained.
She notes that many people have lost their lives in Duala Market because of unworthy and unsafe motorbikes, while the Police look without taking action.
Madam Yormie continues that on several occasions, the Police have watched people die in car and motorbike accidents in Duala only because operators ply defective vehicles and bikes.
“Three of our friends were hit here by bikes only because they do not have view mirrors and breaks. The number of persons that have died here from nonsense of drivers is uncountable but these things are again happening because our traffic police are not up to the tasks”, she observes.
The marketer stresses that elections are expected next year, it’s time that government removes defective vehicles and bikes from the streets to save lives.