The total number of commuters killed in road traffic accidents between January and September 2018 has risen to 1,710.
This represents 12.20% increase over the 1,524 killed within the same period in 2017.
The number injured persons also went up by 12.01perceent, from 8,904 in the first nine months of 2017 to 9,973 during the same period this year.
Data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service and validated by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) reveal 4.01 reduction in the number of pedestrian knockdowns.
565 Pedestrians killed in 9 months
According to the data, the number pedestrians killed dropped to 565 this year compared to 658 recorded in the first nine months of 2017.
16,281 Vehicles involved in accidents
A total of vehicles involved in accidents during the period under consideration recorded 12.70 percent increase - from 14,446 last year to 16,281,comprising 6,238 commercial, 7,102 private and 2,851 motorcycles were.
Regional break down of deaths
The regional break down of deaths are Accra – 241, Tema – 85, Eastern – 293, Central– 143, Western - 97, Ashanti -297, Volta – 129, Northern – 147, Upper West – 40, Upper East – 50 and BrongAhafo -188.
Injuries recorded in each region
Injuries recorded in each region are Accra – 1,750, Tema – 507, Eastern – 1,550, Central – 1,157, Western – 663, Ashanti – 2,253, Volta – 474, Northern–741, Upper West – 144, Upper East – 189 and BrongAhafo– 545.
Breakdown of pedestrians killed
According to the data, the number of pedestrians killed per regionAccra–158, Tema – 28, Eastern – 83, Central -57, Western -45, Ashanti – 97, Volta – 30, Northern -13, Upper West – 5, Upper East – 8 and BrongAhafo – 41.
Regional breakdown of accidents
The regional breakdown of accidents are Accra- 7,012, Tema – 940, Eastern- 1, 398, Central – 1,011, Western 932, Ashanti – 3, 115, Volta – 641, Northern – 284, Upper West –143, Upper East – 285 and BrongAhafo – 547.
1,006 cases reported
The data shows that the total number of cases reported witnessed 10.09% increase from 9,130 in 2017 to 1,006 this year.
Causes of road accident
• The first major cause of road accidents in Ghana is poor driving skills. • Drivers talking on mobile phones while driving have caused several road accidents • Gross indiscipline is the cause in most cases amongst Ghanaians. • Most accidents are caused by broken down vehicles on our roads. • It appears in Ghana there is a leeway for drivers to drive on worn/second hand tyres. • The unworthiness of some cars on our roads also invariably leads to road accidents. • Over-loading of vehicles beyond their expected gross weights is a known cause of accidents. • Fatigue driving is a known cause of road accidents by long-distance drivers. • 10 percent of road accidents in Ghana are caused by drunk driving . • Over-speeding constitutes about 50% of road accidents in the country. • The poor nature of some of our roads has also often been cited as a cause for some vehicular accidents in the country. • Disregard for traffic regulations by most drivers also leads to accidents on our roads. • Non-existent road markings and signs.
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