Traffitech: Use cruise control to maintain speed, Transport consultant urges motorists

Transport consultant at TopTech Ghana, Cecil Ebow Garbrah, has urged motorists to make greater use of cruise control in their vehicles to help them maintain safe speeds and reduce speeding on the roads.

He said the feature, which is available in many modern vehicles, allows drivers to set a preferred speed and maintain it without constantly pressing the accelerator.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Monday, November 9, during a discussion on Traffitech, Mr Garbrah observed that many motorists were unaware of how cruise control works and how it could help them comply with speed limits.

He explained that drivers could activate the system once they reached the permitted speed on a particular road and use the controls on their steering wheels to maintain that speed.

"People driving their vehicles must use the cruise control. It's on the steering. A lot of people don't know what it is. You can set up your speed there," he said.

Using a road with a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour as an example, he explained that motorists could accelerate until they reached the required speed and then activate the cruise control system.

"This is how it works. Press it, accelerate; you have plus and minus to do the acceleration. As soon as you get to your 50, 51, 52, you leave it there, and that is it," he said.

Mr Garbrah said greater awareness of such vehicle features could help motorists manage their speed and reduce the temptation to drive above prescribed limits.

The transport consultant called on road engineers to make speed limits more visible by incorporating them into road markings.

He said the practice would help drivers identify the applicable speed limits without having to rely solely on roadside signs.

Mr Garbrah acknowledged that installing conventional road signs could present challenges because of theft and vandalism, particularly by scrap dealers.

He, however, suggested that road markings could provide a more practical alternative by displaying speed limits directly on the road surface.

"It is high time that we have to put the speed limit on the road itself, like it is done," he said.

He appealed to road engineers to consider the proposal and ensure that speed limits and other important road markings were clearly displayed on major roads.

"I know when you do it, the scrap dealers will go for it. They will steal it. So road markings, the speed, and everything must go on the roads," he added.