Road crashes kill 240, injure 2,309 in 6 months – Police

In the first half of 2019 (January to June), 240 people died in road crashes while 2,309 sustained injuries within the same period as a result of road accidents in the Ashanti Region, the police command has said.

"From these figures, we deduce that our region records about 10 accidents each day and about eleven injuries every day, and the shocking one is that we lose two persons every day in the region", Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander, ACP David Agyemang Adjem said.

Speaking at a press conference in Kumasi on Thursday, 15 August 2019, to announce the start of the command’s ‘Operation to reduce road traffic accidents and operation to make passengers comfortable on public transport’, ACP Adjem said the figures were too high, noting that measures had to be put in place to curb the trend, hence the exercise.

“We cannot do without public transport, but then, if people are dying, and as police, our mandate is to protect lives and property, then it behoves us to ensure that these numbers are reduced,” ACP Adjem stated.

He noted that beginning Thursday, the police will be on the streets to educate and enforce the laws on road traffic regulations, adding that: “We’ll check over speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, unlicensed drivers, underage drivers, sub-standard vehicles and many more”.

Recalcitrant drivers, ACP Adjem said, will be brought to book.