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Ghana has recorded 1,585 deaths from 9,205 road accidents between January and August 2020.
The accidents involved 15,459 vehicles, 1,638 pedestrian accidents, and 9,397 injuries.
The figures, according to the Director General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Ms May Obiri-Yeboah, were higher compared to the figures for the same period last year.
“This situation represents a relative increase in the situation with respect to the same period last year, with an increase of 0.34% in the number of crashes, an increase of 2.9% in the number of vehicles involved, an increase of 0.13% in the deaths and a 1.26 percent increase in injury cases, “he said.
She made this known at the NRSA’s engagement with journalists in Accra yesterday on how to ensure safety on the country’s roads.
He was part of the NRSA ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign, which aimed to guarantee zero accidents on the country’s roads.
Ms. Obiri-Yeboah said that despite high traffic accident cases, there was a 17.61 percent reduction in pedestrian collisions in the same period.
However, he mentioned that men were still the most vulnerable to road accident victims, constituting 81% of accident victims.
“More than 50 percent of accident victims who are killed and seriously injured are in the productive age group 18-55 years. This has economic consequences for their families and for the country in general. While we advocate for better roads, 70 percent of crashes occur on straight, flat roads, ”he said.
Safety
Ms. Obiri-Yeboah therefore asked drivers to justify the license they possessed by driving carefully and professionally.
“Let’s observe the speed limits, let’s reduce our speed in the city to allow the use of the roads by pedestrians,” he said.
The CEO also advised pedestrians to be vigilant about safe crossing facilities such as crosswalk points and walkways before crossing the street.
She said motorcyclists were expected to ride safely wearing helmets, avoid unnecessary maneuvers while searching for pedestrians, and not violate red lights at traffic intersections.
He called on the media to carry out public education to sensitize citizens to prevent more road accidents in the country.
Ms Obiri-Yeboah said the authority was partnering with the media to launch the “Arrive Alive” media campaign scheduled to be launched on October 1, 2020 in Takoradi.
He added that the authority had also contacted 841 bus terminals, 48 churches, 21 mosques and 326 communities, and appointed 30 road safety inspectors to help improve institutional responsibilities, among others.
Media crusade
The president of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Roland Affail Monney, called on the media to harness their power as journalists to become crusaders against the carnage on the roads.
He highlighted the need for the media to move from curative journalism to preventive journalism in terms of road safety.
NRSA Deputy Director of Programs, Mr. Daniel Wuako, cited indiscipline on the roads, laxity and irresponsibility of key players as some of the leading causes of traffic accidents.
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