Road crashes in Accra decrease by 22 percent in 2022 - Report

Road traffic crashes and deaths in Accra dropped from 1,808 in 2021 to 1,416 in 2022 representing a 22% decrease. Similarly, reported road traffic deaths reduced from 123 in 2021 to 102 in 2022 — a 17% decrease.

These latest statistics were revealed in Accra on Tuesday, November 7, by the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey when she launched the Accra Road Safety Report for 2022.

According to the report which was produced in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Ghana Police Service, Vital Strategies and the Ghana National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), vulnerable road users — pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists made up 77% of the reported fatalities in 2022.

The report which is the fifth to be released by the AMA further revealed that males accounted for 82% of road traffic deaths and 74% of serious injuries with the highest proportion of deaths recorded among victims aged 20 to 29 years.

Key findings in the report indicated that pedestrians accounted for 55% of the reported fatalities in 2022 while deaths were frequently reported following crashes which occurred between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

"About half (47%) of the reported deaths occurred from crashes on weekends. The high-risk fatal crash locations were: Avenor Junction along J. A Kufuor Avenue, Opeibea intersection along Liberation Road, Hansonic junction along Dr. Busia Highway, Lapaz intersection and North Dzorwulu intersection — both locations along George Walker Bush Highway (N1), " the report revealed.

The report also noted that an observational study on speeding in October 2022 showed a 43% prevalence of speeding in Accra.

Speaking during the launch the Mayor stressed the need to sustain efforts to reduce deaths drastically.

She expressed appreciation to all stakeholders whose actions and support led to the reduction in road traffic crashes and deaths from 1,808 and 136 in 2021 to 1,416 and 102 in 2022 respectively.

"Over the past 8 years, the AMA in collaboration with the Bloomberg Philanthropies and its international partners has been working to improve road safety outcomes in the city... Today, we further demonstrate our resolve to save lives with the launch of the 5th edition of the Accra road safety report... Thanks to stakeholders whose actions and support led to the reduction in road traffic crashes and deaths from 1,808 and 136 in 2021 to 1,416 and 102 in 2022 respectively... It is my prayer that these efforts will be sustained to reduce deaths to the barest minimum... I do not doubt that our city-level efforts will effectively complement national road safety efforts to save lives... Special thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies, Vital Strategies, and all external and local partners for their relentless efforts to provide a safe space in the city, especially for the vulnerable road users,” she said.

Acting Director General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Ing. David Osafo Adonteng in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Alexander Ayatah, Director of the NRSA commended AMA for its tremendous work and consistency in producing these informative reports over the years.

“This report is an important tool for all those whose work involves road crash prevention since it offers the opportunity to gain insight into the enormous scale and impact of road deaths and injuries. I am happy that the AMA is relentless in producing these informative reports that have been used to guide road safety interventions to be carried out in the city of Accra over the past 8 years, " he said.

Dr. Raphael Awuah, Regional Technical Advisor (Africa) on Road Injury Surveillance at Vital Strategies said understanding who was dying from crashes, and where and why these deaths were occurring was key to developing interventions to save lives.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) works with the world’s leading road safety organizations to design strategies, implement activities and coordinate with in-country governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders.