In 2012, the Mayor of Accra Metropolitan Assembly AMA, Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, announced to the general public, instructing all buses or vehicles that show movies in their cars to desist. Since enforcement of the said directive was weak, majority of the long journey buses continue to show movies in their cars.
First, when the movie is being shown in the bus, it soaks up the total attention of the passengers, so when the driver is over speeding, the passengers don’t realize it and to warn the driver to maintain an optimal speed. The driver therefore does not get any form of caution, prompting or criticism from anyone (passengers) to check his or her speed.
Secondly, when the movie is showing, the sound it generates makes it impossible for the passengers and the driver alike to hear or detect any faulty sound the car’s engine produces so that the car would be stopped and the fault rectified.
My recent experience in a long journey commercial bus has brought to my attention, the above two reasons about movies shown in vehicles. I travelled from Accra to Kumasi. All the passengers (including myself) were busy enjoying a Kumawood movie featuring Agya Koo and Lil Win. It was so hilarious that we were all laughing our heads off; only for one old man who was seated quietly in the car, started shouting (in Twi).
“Driver! Driver! Can’t you hear an unusual sound coming from the engine! Driver stop the car! I say stop!” Everybody became alarmed! The mate quickly minimized the volume of the sound from the movie only for all and sundry to hear some kputsu, kputsu, kputsu, sound coming out of the car.
The driver stopped, opened the car’s engine only for a thick heat and smoke/vapour, come out of the car’s engine. The engine was hot; apparently, the car was over speeding and also had developed a mechanical fault, hence the sound. The driver stopped the car for some minutes for the engine to cool down whilst he poured some water into the tank and after that, we continued.
When we started the journey again, I was still watching the movie, but kept telling myself: “movies shown in movies, though are a source of entertainment, are silent cause of road accident in this country.” But for this old man’s mind which was off the movie and for that matter could sense the ‘danger’ we might have…
As for causes of road accident, many and proper research have been conducted and published in this country…Mine is not any serious research, but a personal experience I’m sharing. It could be proven scientifically wrong or true later. I am not interested in scoring any point with this notification or piece but I feel it’s a very crucial thing to consider.
I am only drawing the attention of the National Road Safety Commission to consider taking a serious look into this observation – movies shown in vehicles.
TAXI DRIVERS NOW SHOW MOVES
Indeed, currently, it’s not only the long journey buses that show movies, but the ordinary taxis that we board every day.
The number of taxis which shows movies is increasing by the day and the danger is that, in the case of the taxi’s, the screen is right in front of the driver – so he watches the movie as he drives on.
Forgetting that, just a glance can sway his focus and cause accident.
In the meantime, the Film Producers Association of Ghana-FIPAG, is also fighting the various drivers associations and unions to either show the former’s movies in buses and pay a charge as royalties to the right owners, or desist from showing the movies.
Before the negotiation between FIPAG and the various drivers associations will yield any positive results, thus, the drivers agree to pay a fee to FIPAG and show the latter’s films, I call on the National Media Commission to step in on movies shown in cars.
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