Yaounde-Bafoussam highway: Gendarmerie says nearly 120 offenses recorded within two days.

The revelation was made on Saturday, September 14, by the head of the road safety campaign underway on the stretch, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Abat Mbeng. 

He is in charge of the Motorised Road Platoon covering Mbam and Kim and Mbam and Inoubou Divisions in the Centre Region.

About twenty officers from the ‘Bravo’ detachment of the National Gendarmerie were deployed on the road axis No.4 to carryout checks and of road users and vehicles. 

This, in a bid to curb the phenomenon of traffic accidents on this stretch of the road especially now with the resumption of the new school year.

According to Commander Abat Mbeng, the campaign started on September 12, on the instructions of the Secretary of State to the Minister of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Galax Etoga Yves Landry.

He pointed out that during this back-to-school period, the Gendarmerie hierarchy required increased mobilisation of his collaborators on the ground and went on a repressive phase, given that the awareness stage had ended.

“…the hierarchy has firmly instructed that we ensure that drivers respect the road signs which are located horizontally or vertically on the roadway. From there the accident-prone phenomenon will decrease or even end. We will end up no longer recording cases of accidents on our axis,” Commander Abat Mbeng stated.

Violations of Highway Code frequent

According to the Commander, his officers are installed at several checkpoints on the road. The first, he said is in Bwalondo village, Bokito Subdivision in Mbam and Inoubou Division. The second is in Konyabetet located 15km from the town of Bafia.

He revealed that in an interval of around ten minutes, an average five road users are caught with regards to acts of violations. 

Offences include use of international driver’s license beyond the appropriate time or incomplete vehicle records, as well as non-respect of speed limit, leading to the cars being flashed by the radars installed on the roads.

“Here the most frequent offenses are non-compliance with speed limits. It is really regrettable because until now some understand the purpose of our presence on the axis and some persist in not respecting road signs planted horizontally or vertically on the roadway,” Commander Abat Mbeng disclosed.

He stated that on the National Road No.4, the required speed limit is 50 km/h. In the event of violation of the limit, the road user is flashed by the radar, the offender has a FCFA 25,000 fine to pay.

He explained that there are two options are available. The fine can be paid on the spot or the driving license is seized, and a material seizure form given to the offender.

“…our hierarchy transmits the seized license to the Ministry of Transport, and the sanction remains at the discretion of the Minister of Transport,” Abat Mbeng explained.

He also cautioned road users to make sure the agencies they use issue bus tickets that correspond to the buses they use.

“In the event of a disaster there will be a problem when we draw up the report. The victim will find themselves in difficulty when they have to be compensated by insurance,” he said.

Road users express satisfaction

Users of the National Road No. 4 have all expressed satisfaction with the campaign which they say will help reduce accidents, which cause pain and suffering to the local populations.

“I have no problem with control. It is good and safer for the population,” said a driver of a transport agency, plying the road.

Another regular user, Richard Ndah, explained that the checks ensure that vehicles plying this stretch are road worthy which will in turn reduce accidents.

“The road safety campaign is a very good thing because the officers carryout technical inspections and others. They also check if seat belts are being used, and if the car has a first aid box which is very important in case of problems,” Ndah stated, adding that he is always happy to come across the checkpoints.

The local populations of road axis No. 4 who are particularly involved in commerce on the road are delighted with the presence of gendarme officers on the ground. According to them, this prevents them from being hit by a speeding vehicle. 

The head of mission of the road safety campaign Commander Abat Mbeng has urged road users to take into account road signs present on the highway, for their own safety and security.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3233 of Wednesday September 18, 2024