Gendarmerie Adopts Mobile Control Strategy To Curb Road Accidents

The National Gendarmerie has adopted mobile control post strategy to reinforce road safety measures to curb road accidents caused by non-respect of roads signs by road users.

By Anu Nkeze Paul in Atok, East Region

Captain Lele Ngompe Bosco told the press May 30, 2015 at a control post in Atok that the new strategy of mobile control posts is to help clamp down on recalcitrant drivers, who only respect speed limits along highways when they approach well-known gendarmerie control post.

According to Captain Lele Ngompe, this strategy will help track those drivers because it will become difficult for them to know where a control post is located along the highways.

“During the launching of the third generation road safety campaign in November 2014 by Minister Jean Baptise Bokam, Secretary of State in charge National Gendarmerie, instructed us to deploy [every possible] measure to curb all forms of road accidents on our highways. We have the duty to ensure that all road users are responsible and to compel them to respect all roads signs at every time, even without control, this is our main objective,” Captain Ngompe said.

Within the framework of the operation and taking into account the aspect of sensitizing road users, the National Gendarmerie emphasizes section 606 of the Criminal Procedure Code which empowers criminal investigation officers to ensure the collection fixed fines.

The road safety campaign has as objectives to ensure substantial reduction of the number of accidents and deaths on the nation’s roads; deterrence of road delinquents through integrated implementation of the legal and repressive instrument; lead all road users to adopt responsible and civic behaviour in their vehicles; security of national road networks during all hours thereby making all road users secure; fight against insecurity through a secure and integral coverage of the country’s axial highways; encourage all road users to behave responsibly for the protection of the road heritage.

Some of the most challenging and recurrent road offences to combat include respect of speed limits, overloading of passengers, clandestine transporters with no licience, expired insurance, no first aid box, lack of signals and windscreen wipers and drunken driving.

These offences attract fines ranging from 2,400 to 75,000 francs cfa.