Road traffic accidents: 1,828 die 9 months

• Posted on October 15, 2020October 15, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

– Motorcycles – 716 (39.17%), commercial vehicles – 697 (38.13%), private vehicles – 416 (22.76%).

The number of commuters killed in road traffic crashes between January and September this year increased by 5.48% compared to last year.
The figure increased from 1,733 last year to 1,828 this year.

1,466 Males killed
Data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service indicates that 1,466 males, comprising 1,342 above 18 years and 124 below 18 years, were killed in road crashes in the first nine months of this year.
 
362 Females killed
On the other hand, 362 females, made up of 270 above 18 years and 92 below 18 years, also lost their lives during the period.

14.43% decrease in pedestrian knockdowns
The data showed a 14.43% decrease in pedestrian knockdowns as the figure dropped from 2,203 last year compared to 1,885 this year.

508 Pedestrians killed
Also, the number of pedestrians killed dropped from 558 between January and September 2019 to 508 in 2020.

Motorcycles killed 716, injured 3,327
Road traffic crashes involving motorcycles killed 716 and injured 3,327 commuters in the first nine months of this year.

Motorcycle crashes record 17.30% increase
Motorcycle crashes recorded a 17.30% increase between January and September this year, spiking to 4,048, compared to the 3,451 in the same period last year.

10,933 Victims injured
According to the data, the number of commuters injured this year went up by 1.98%, recording 10,933, compared to the 10,721 last year.

17,728 Vehicles involved in crashes
The total number of vehicles involved in crashes rose by 5.01% from 16,883 last year to 17,728 this year.

Private vehicles killed 416, injured 2,310
The MTTD data reveals that private vehicles killed 416 and injured 2,310 during the period.

7,059 private vehicles involved in crashes
The number of crashes involving private vehicles recorded a 9.91% decline from 7,124 last year to 7,059 this year.

Commercial vehicles killed 696, injured 5,296
The statistics show that crashes involving commercial vehicles killed 696 and injured 5,296 commuters in the first nine months of this year.

6,621 Commercial vehicles involved in crashes
The number of commercial vehicles involved in accidents increased by 4.96% from 6,308 last year to 6,621 this year.

10,535 Reported crashes
The total number of crashes reported also rose by 2.34% last year from 10,294 to 10,535 in the first nine of this year.

Motorcycles top deaths
The 716 commuters killed by motorcycles is higher than the 697 killed by commercial vehicles, and it is also almost double the number killed by private vehicles in road traffic crashes.

Motorcycles killed 39.17%
In percentage terms, motorcycles killed 39.17%, commercial vehicles killed 38.13%, and private vehicles – 22.76%.

Commercial vehicles top injuries
When it comes to the number of injured commuters, commercial vehicles lead with 5,296 (48.22%), followed by motorcycles with 3,327 (30.43%), and private vehicles with 2,310 (21.13).

Private vehicles top vehicles involved in crashes
With regard to the number of vehicles involved in crashes,  private vehicles recorded 7,059, representing 39.82%, followed by commercial vehicles with 6,621 (37.35%), and motorcycles with 4,048, which represents 22.83%.   

Mandatory refresher training for commercial drivers
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 licenses are renewed.

13,000 High-risk commercial drivers trained
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).
 
Road safety inspectors to be deployed
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.

2018 Recorded high numbers of road fatalities
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.

Increasing number of annual vehicle population
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.

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

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

Road safety code for political parties
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.

By Elvis DARKO, Accra