Over 2,000 perish through road accidents in 10 months

The number of commuters killed in road traffic crashes as at the end of October this year rose by 8.9% over the same period last year.

Between January and October this year, the number of commuters killed rose to 2,080 compared to 1,910 during the same period of 2019.

Data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service indicates that 1,675 males, comprising 1,526 above 18 years and 149 below 18 years, were killed in road crashes in the first nine months of this year.

On the other hand, 405 females, made up of 298 above 18 years and 107 below 18 years, also lost their lives during the period.

The data showed a decrease in pedestrian knockdowns from 2,437 last year to 2,209 this year.

Also, the number of pedestrians killed dropped from 607 between January and October 2019 to 590 in 2020, representing a 9.36% reduction.

Road traffic crashes involving motorcycles killed 827 and injured 3,802 commuters in the first 10 months of this year.

Motorcycle crashes recorded a 22.04% increase between January and October this year, spiking to 4,629, compared to the 3,793 in the same period last year.

According to the data, the number of commuters injured this year went up by 4.8%, recording 12,380, compared to the 11,814 recorded last year.



The total number of vehicles involved in crashes rose by 9.13% from 18,701 last year to 20,408 this year.

The MTTD data reveals that private vehicles killed 479 and injured 2,652 during the period.

The number of crashes involving private vehicles recorded a 3.03% rise from 7,921 last year to 8,161 this year.

The statistics show that crashes involving commercial vehicles killed 774 and injured 5,926 commuters in the first 10 months of this year.

The number of commercial vehicles involved in accidents increased by 9.03% from 6,987 last year to 7,618 this year.

The total number of crashes reported also rose by 6.14% from 11,396 last year to 12,096 in the first 10 months of this year.

The 827 commuters killed by motorcycles are higher than the 774 killed by commercial vehicles, and it is also almost double the 479 killed by private vehicles in road traffic crashes.

In percentage terms, motorcycles killed 39.8%, commercial vehicles killed 37.2%, and private vehicles, 23%.

When it comes to the number of injured commuters, commercial vehicles lead with 5,926, followed by motorcycles with 3,802, and private vehicles with 2,652.

With regard to the number of vehicles involved in crashes, private vehicles recorded 8,161, followed by commercial vehicles with 7,618, and motorcycles with 3,802.

To arrest the situation, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has said that all commercial vehicle drivers would have to undergo mandatory refresher training before their driving licences are renewed.

The piloting of the training involving about 13,000 high-risk commercial drivers nationwide has been completed.

The move is part of the implementation of Regulation 125 of the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I.2180).

The authority would also be deploying some road safety inspectors at major road transport terminals to conduct pre-departure checks of vehicles and drivers to help minimise the risk of crashes.

The country in 2018 recorded high numbers of road fatalities, comprising 641 pedestrians, 559 motorcyclists, 341 bus occupants, 208 saloon car occupants, 127 goods vehicles occupants, 48 cyclists, 42 pick-up occupants, and 14 from other forms of road crashes.

The high numbers were fuelled by the increasing number of annual vehicle population from 1.1 million (1,122,722) in 2010 to 2.6 million (2,679,394) in 2018.

The problem identified with the canker of road crashes was indiscipline among road users and laxity or irresponsibility among policymakers and implementers.

Data garnered by the authority suggested an increase in road traffic deaths and injuries during election years, except for 2008 and 2016.

In view of this, political parties and leaders are to revisit the road safety code for political parties, which required that they appoint road safety officers ahead of the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The officers are to ensure internal controls and implementation of best practice road safety protocols for the greater good of the road safety campaign, their supporters, and road users.