About 80% of pedestrian deaths in Kumasi in 2022 were males – Report

Data contained in the 2022 Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Road Safety Report indicates that 80 percent of pedestrian deaths through knockdown in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional Capital were males.

According to Dr. Raphael Awuah, Regional Technical Advisor, Africa Road Injury Surveillance, Vital Strategies, there is the need for male pedestrians to prioritize their safety on roads.

He indicated that most of the pedestrian road accidents normally occurred at the weekends, especially from 8:00pm to 1:00pm, because of zero enforcement rules and regulations on the roads during weekends, especially on Sundays.

Kingsley Wiredu, Road Injury Surveillance Coordinator (KMA, BIGRS), also revealed that, findings showed that from 2021 to 2022, the number of reported road traffic accidents in Kumasi rose by 24%, from 2,255 to 1,550, while road traffic deaths dropped from 160 to 134, representing a 16% decrease.

He noted that, deaths per 100,000 population also declined from 4.6 in 2021 to 3.4 in 2022, adding that, pedestrians, motorcyclists and Cyclists accounted for 84% of the recorded fatalities in 2022, while Males accounted for 74% of deaths and 67% of serious injuries in 2022.

According to him, the highest proportion of deaths was recorded among those aged 20 to 29 years.

Based on three year geolocation data, high-risk fatal crash locations were concentrated along high-capacity roads including Anloga Junction (N6) Boadi junction (N6), Asuoyeboah traffic intersection, Sofoline station and Amakom traffic intersection.

He reiterated that studies of road injury risk factors on selected corridors found that 30% of drivers in Kumasi were observed speeding.

Meanwhile, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative of Global Road Safety (BIGRS) and Vital Strategies, have launched the Kumasi Road Safety 2022 annual report.

The report is expected to help guide road users by making major roads safe by reducing pedestrian road knockdown accidents, especially in the Ashanti region.

Mr. Samuel Pyne, the Metropolitan Assembly Chief executive, explained that the report, which is an update of two previous ones, provides information on crashes, deaths and injuries to enable stakeholders track trends and use the findings on at-risk road user groups, risk periods and high-risk crash locations to guide the implementation of interventions for improved outcomes.

He expressed the hope that the efforts of the city and its partners would reduce deaths and injuries from road accidents and improve the safety of all road users.

The KMA boss commended all local and external partners for their efforts to improve safety on the Kumasi city’s roads.

Samuel Pyne expressed his profound gratitude to Bloomberg Philanthropies, Vital Strategies and other partners for their continued support to Kumasi, and assured them that the city authority was committed to realizing the goals of the partnership.