Records increase in road traffic deaths in half a year

Road traffic accident-related deaths in the Central Region increased over 50 percent in the half-year of 2020, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has said.

The region recorded 136 deaths as against the 89 recorded in the same period in 2019, representing a 52.8 percent increase.

However, road traffic accidents cases reduced to 406 as against the 452 recorded the same period in 2019.

Ms Linda Affotey-Annang, Regional Head of the NRSA who disclosed this in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, largely attributed the increase in the death toll to the Dompoase Junction accident which claimed 35 lives in January.

The number of injured persons reduced to 677 as against 791 in 2019, pedestrian knockdowns also reduced to 96 as against 134 in the previous year.

Ms Affotey-Annang said of the 406 accident cases, 294 were commercial vehicles, 227, private, while 157 involved motorbikes.

She said 23 persons were killed through motorbike related crashes, adding that 144 injuries were also recorded from the motorbike accidents.

She expressed worry over the increasing statistics of accidents involving motorbikes and called for concerted efforts to address the menace.

According to her, most of the motorbike crashes were as a result of careless, inexperienced, and impatient driving especially by the introduction of the ‘aboboya’ and ‘pragya for commercial use.

Ms Affotey-Annang mentioned over speeding, disabled vehicles along the shoulders of the road, poor visibility at night, wrongful overtaking as some of the leading causative factors of road accidents.

In this regard, she advised drivers to be extra cautious when driving on the road, drive within their visibility, drive defensively, and exhibit care for other road users.

She said the NRSA had over the period embarked on rigorous education at filling stations, toll booths, and lorry stations to educate drivers, passengers, and other road users on road safety practices.