Road crashes, injuries, and deaths (CIDs) have consistently declined for eight consecutive months says the National Road Safety Authority.
According to their latest statistics, a total of 1,615 people perished in 10,060 crashes from January to August, this year, with 10,406 others sustaining varying degrees of injury.
These figures show a reduction in all indicators compared with the same period in 2021 when 1,891 people were killed in 10,594 crashes which also injured 10,344 others.
In percentage terms, the reduction in deaths represents 14.6 per cent while crashes reduced by 5 per cent.
The acting Director-General of the NRSA, David Osafo Adonteng, who made the statistics available to newsmen, said the consistent decline in the CIDs was positive energy for the authority.
“The statistics further showed that 5,900 commercial vehicles were involved in the crashes, with private vehicles and motorcycles accounting for 7,728 and 3,644, respectively.
“Compared with the same period last year, the number of commercial vehicles involved in crashes reduced by 6.8 per cent from 6,303 with motorcycles involved in accidents also declining by 11.01 per cent from 4,095.
“Conversely, private vehicles recorded 0.89 per cent hike in crashes this year compared with 2021 where 7,660 were involved in crashes,” he said.
Mr. Adonteng explained that the “Arrive Alive” and “Stay Alive” education and sensitisation programmes had resulted in attitudinal change among drivers and other road users.
“Our stronger collaboration with the commercial transport operators, particularly the Ghana Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has really helped,” he pointed out.
He also said the crashes involving motorcycles had reduced considerably owing to the sensitisation and training programmes rolled out by the authority and other stakeholders, including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
“The Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service also need to be commended because they have helped in enforcing the traffic regulations.
Mr. Adonteng observed that with barely two months to the Christmas season, the authority would strengthen collaboration with other players in the transport sector to ensure that the high spate of crashes associated with the festive season were reduced.
Mr. Francis Asamoah, a driver, said the two-driver initiative would help reduce road crashes, but appealed to the Authority to ensure that the laws were enforced at all times.
He appealed to the NRSA and the Police to check vehicles involved in overloading to prevent them from causing road accidents.
Story by: Nana Yaw Reuben Jnr.
