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The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has reported that approximately 1,237 individuals lost their lives in road accidents from January to June 2024.
Pearl Adusu Sateckla, Head of Public Relations at the NRSA, described the situation as alarming, attributing many of the fatalities to wrongful overtaking and failure to observe traffic regulations.
“Contributory factors include head-on collisions, often caused by wrongful overtaking and speeding. Research indicates that about 90% of drivers in the country do not adhere to speed limits. Higher speeds significantly increase the severity of crashes,” Sateckla stated.
A provisional summary of national traffic crash and casualty statistics reveals that 6,653 road traffic crashes were reported in the first half of 2024. These incidents involved 11,283 vehicles, including private, commercial, and motorbikes/cycles, resulting in 8,798 casualties, comprising 1,237 fatalities and 7,561 injuries.
Knockdowns decreased by 4%, 4.5%, 3.8%, and 1% respectively from January to June 2024, while the number of persons killed increased by 13% compared to the same period in 2023.
In June, 21 (12%) of the deceased were below 18 years, while 150 (88%) were adults over 18 years. From January to June, 149 (12%) of those killed were children under 18, and 1,088 (88%) were adults. This data suggests a road traffic death ratio of 7:1 for adults compared to children, highlighting a higher exposure risk for adults.
The Bono Region experienced the highest percentage increase in crashes, up by 41.5% compared to the same period in 2023, while the Upper East Region saw the highest percentage decrease at 41.2%. The Oti Region had a 500% increase in crashes, followed by the Savannah Region with a 288.9% increase. The Upper West Region reported no change, and the Northern Region recorded the highest decrease in injuries, down by 100%.
Overall, aside from the 13% increase in fatalities, all other indicators saw decreases from January to June 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The Greater Accra Region recorded an 11.7% drop in fatalities compared to 2023. In contrast, the Ashanti Region saw a 67.5% increase in deaths, with 131 fatalities.
Despite the Greater Accra Region experiencing more than double the number of crashes (200%) compared to the Eastern Region over the past six months, the Eastern Region still surpassed Greater Accra in terms of deaths. For every 100 crashes, the Eastern Region recorded 27 deaths compared to 10 in Greater Accra.
In response, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ghana has called on the government to form a committee to thoroughly investigate the series of events leading to recent road accidents and make its findings public.
