Ghana between January and June 2022 recorded a decrease in reported road accidents compared to the same period in 2021, provisional statistics from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reveal.
Data available at the Ghana News Agency in Tema showed that a total of 7,687 were documented for the first quarter of 2022 compared to 8,188 in 2021 for the same period, a reduction of 401 representing 6 .12%.
A total of 13,248 vehicles were involved in the 2022 crashes, which resulted in the death of 1,300 people compared to the 2021 figure of 13,973 vehicles, resulting in the death of 1,454 people.
The data also showed a 2.33% reduction in the number of people injured, with a total of 7,997 and 8,188 injuries recorded in the first half of 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Statistics also show that 1,356 pedestrians were knocked down in the first half of 2022, showing a downward trend of 144 representing a 7.76% reduction from the 1,470 recorded in 2021.
In the regional distribution of recorded road accidents, from January to June 2022, Greater Accra topped 3,267 or 42.50% of the total number of accidents.
Ashanti recorded 1,791 representing 23.30%; The East followed with 826 incidents representing 10.75%; Central recorded 529 representing 6.88%; Western recorded 354, or 4.61%; Volta recorded 193, or 2.51%; Western North recorded 119 representing 1.55; and Bono East recorded 102, or 1.33%.
The rest are Ahafo registered 99 representing 1.29%; Northern had 94, or 1.22%; Upper East recorded 76 representing 0.99 percent; Bono documented 72 representing 0.94%; Savannah recorded 53 representing 0.69%; Upper West recorded 51 representing 0.66 percent; the Northeast had 35, or 0.46%; and Oti control 26 representing 0.34 percent.
Mr. Tony Dickson Afriford, Executive Director of the Global Road Safety Media Foundation, analyzing data from the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office and the Transport and Traffic Department’s Road Safety Campaign Platform (MTTD), said the reduction could be attributed to concentration by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and other stakeholders.
GNA Tema regional office and Department of Motor Transport and Traffic (MTTD) road safety campaign platform seek to use eminent personalities to provide continuous education on the need to be safe on the roads and reduce road carnage.
The Tema GNA and MTTD road safety project aims to create consistent and systematic weekly awareness advocacy on the need to be safe on the road as a user, to educate all road users on their respective responsibilities and raise awareness among drivers, in particular on the principles of road safety. regulations, rules and laws.
Mr Afriford explained the need to reduce the number of commercial vehicles involved in accidents and the resulting consequences, as has happened in previous years.
He said this was evident in the 4,619 commercial vehicles involved in road accidents, showing a reduction from the 4,948 recorded in 2021 over the same period.
He further noted that data crashes involving private vehicles also saw a reduction of just six cases, as 5,862 were reported in the first half of 2022 compared to 5,868 documented for 2021.
He added that pre-departure checks at the bus station before vehicles embarked on a trip also yielded good results as the condition of tires, driving licenses and other relevant items were often checked.
Mr Afriford also said that the Knowledge, Skills and Attitude (KSA) based road safety approach to tackling the number of crashes and fatalities has also helped to reduce the number of reported crashes. .
The Executive Director of the Global Road Safety Media Foundation also commended the Ghana News Agency for consistently creating a platform for stakeholders to educate the public on the need to adhere to safety rules and regulations. road.
Source: GNA
