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Ghana, as of the end of August 2020, had recorded 9,205 traffic accidents, involving 15,459 vehicles, resulting in 1,585 deaths.
This was revealed by the General Director of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), May Obiri-Yeboah.
The situation, he said, represented a relative increase in the situation compared to the same period last year with an increase of 0.34% in the number of crashes, 2.9% increase in the number of vehicles involved, 0.13% increase in deaths and 1.26 % increase in injury cases.
However, there was a 17.61% reduction in pedestrian falls. Ms Obiri-Yeboah, who gave the statistics at a press conference organized in association with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra on Friday, on the “Current situation of road safety in the country”, said that Data collected by the Authority suggested an increase in traffic fatalities and injuries during election years, except 2008 and 2016.
With the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, he called on all political parties and leaders to review the Road Safety Code for political parties, which requires them to appoint Road Safety Officers.
Officers were to ensure internal controls and the implementation of best practice road safety protocols for the good of the road safety campaign, its supporters, and road users.
Ms Obiri-Yeboah said that prior to the Covid-19 outbreak in Ghana, the Authority piloted road safety training and education for some 13,000 high-risk commercial drivers across the country.
He said that the Authority was working to formalize the training and implement Regulation 125 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI2180) that establishes mandatory refresher training for all drivers of commercial vehicles before the renewal of their driver’s licenses.
The Authority would also deploy some road safety inspectors at major road transport terminals to carry out pre-departure checks on vehicles and drivers prior to travel to help minimize the risk of accidents prior to departure.
The Director General advised drivers to justify the license they possessed by driving carefully and professionally, respecting the established speed limits, reducing speed in the city to allow the use of the roads by pedestrians to reduce falls and refraining from using drugs and drinking.
He also called on pedestrians to be vigilant about safe crossing facilities such as crossing points or walkways, avoid walking on the carriageway, and instead walk on walkways if they are provided and visible by the night in bright clothing to reduce the risk of being knocked down.
Motorists should put on helmets, avoid unnecessary maneuvers, watch out for pedestrians and not violate red lights at traffic intersections, he advised. GJA president Affail Monney urged journalists to join the fight to reduce the unfortunate increase in traffic accidents in recent weeks.
He said that the media fraternity had a duty to contribute greatly to the protection of lives by promoting intensified education on its platforms and called on all members of the Association to cooperate to combat canker.
Daniel Wuaku, Deputy Director of Planning and Programs, NRSA, said that the country in 2018 recorded a high number of road deaths, including 641 pedestrians, 559 motorcyclists, 341 bus occupants, 208 car occupants, 127 vehicle occupants of goods, 48 cyclists, 42 pick up the occupants and 14 from other forms of traffic accidents.
The high numbers were driven by the growing number of annual vehicles from 1,122,722 in 2010 to 2,679,394 in 2018.
He said that the problem identified with the canker of traffic accidents was indiscipline among road users and laxity or irresponsibility among legislators and implementers.
The solution to the problem at hand, Mr. Wuaku said, was a national action that included education, advocacy and law enforcement against road users and policy makers to achieve positive change in behavior.
