Integrity watch institution CENTAL frowns on the increasing wave of road accidents across Liberia and calls on the government to intervene.
By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia, Liberia, March 11, 2025 – Following reports of a devastating motor accident that occurred at Boy’s Town Junction along Robertfield highway in Harbel, Margibi County, leading to deaths and injuries, the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia or CENTAL, underscores a need for government to act swiftly to reducing numerous road accidents across the country.
“I may not have the numbers at hand, However, it is clear that the number of road traffic accidents appears to be increasing daily, and properties and treasured lives are being lost in the process; this is so sad and alarming. The government must act swiftly to protect lives and properties,” CENTAL head Anderson Miamen says.
In a live Facebook podcast on Monday, March 10, 2025, Mr. Miamen blamed the government for failing to institute safety measures to help minimize the current wave of road accidents across the country.
“What hurts most is that most of these accidents are avoidable, only if the Police is adequately supported to work, as required”, he further underscores.
He notes that many police Officers are interested in collecting bribes from commercial drivers and not assessing vehicles for roadworthiness and other serious road safety issues.
He says the Executive and the Legislative branches of government must seriously look into the matter at hand by working with the Police and other law enforcement agencies to deal with the situation that is fast becoming a national emergency.
Miamen continues that the Liberia National Police must be adequately funded to do its job by increasing highway patrol, not to harass drivers and road users but to scrupulously enforce the vehicle and traffic laws of Liberia.
“People ride defective vehicles on our roads and speed excessively unchecked. These issues have to be dealt with; also citizens must be educated to prevail on drivers to reduce their speed limits to that which is lawful and acceptable,” he adds.
However, he notes that passengers in speeding vehicles sometimes encourage drivers to run excessively or say nothing when they are speeding, forgetting that accidents can occur at any given time.
“We need a collective approach to deal with this situation, as it is becoming alarming, as for yesterday’s fatal accident in the Boy Town area, the perpetrator must be punished, in line with relevant Liberian Laws”, he concludes.
On Sunday, a devastating accident occurred at Boy’s Town intersection along the Robertsfield Highway, resulting in several persons losing their lives and several others in critical condition in the hospital.
According to the report, the crash resulted from a truck colliding with a taxi, causing significant damage.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the full number of casualties, but reports indicate multiple fatalities from the crash. Editing by Jonathan Browne
