In October 2024 alone, Ghana has witnessed a distressing wave of road accidents, leaving many families mourning and bringing attention to the country’s escalating road safety crisis, as it were.

These fatal crashes reflect the urgent necessity for stricter enforcements of traffic laws, infrastructural improvements, and heightened public awareness on safe driving practices.

On October 30, a fatal accident occurred at Tesano, Accra, where a police Yutong bus, with registration number GP 417, collided with a Royal motorbike at the Tesano Zongo intersection.

The bus driver reportedly attempted to avoid traffic by entering the opposite lane, striking the motorcyclist, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

The incident led to significant traffic congestion, and the Ghana Police Service has since commenced an investigation into it. The Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has also personally extended condolences to the deceased’s family.

Just a day prior, on October 29, 2024, five lives were lost along the Dabaa-Akropong Road in the Ashanti Region.

An Opel saloon car carrying a driver, her two daughters, a plumber, and a teacher veered off the road and plunged into the overflowing Owabi River.

The bodies of four of the victims have since been recovered from the river.

Earlier in the month, on October 14, 2024, thirteen lives were also lost near Kwapia, close to Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region, when a VIP bus traveling from Kumasi to Enchi veered off a sharp curve.

The bus, reportedly overloaded after picking up additional passengers stranded by a broken-down vehicle, lost control and plunged into a ditch.

On October 11, 2024, six people also lost their lives in a collision between a sprinter bus and a VIP bus near Juaso on the Accra-Kumasi Highway.

The sprinter bus driver reportedly attempted improper overtaking, resulting in a collision that killed five passengers in the sprinter, and one VIP bus passenger.

Injured passengers were taken to the Konongo Government Hospital, while the deceased were sent to the Yawkwei Mortuary.

A particularly harrowing accident took place on October 13, 2024, at East Legon, in Accra, involving the younger son of Archbishop Salifu Amoako, a prominent Ghanaian pastor.

He reportedly lost control of the vehicle he was driving, resulting in a head-on collision.

The impact caused a power pole to collapse, and live wires fell on the vehicles, igniting a fire.

Two preteens inside were trapped and tragically burnt beyond recognition.

CCTV footage showed the car speeding before the accident.

Following the recent wave of tragic accidents in October, the need for improved road safety measures has become increasingly urgent.

Speaking in a recent interview, transport consultant, Cecil Garbrah, bemoaned the failure to enforce existing road safety laws, despite Ghana having some of the most comprehensive road safety legislation on the continent, particularly Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180.

He expressed frustration over the lack of enforcement, noting that while the country possesses the necessary legislative tools, the biggest hurdle is ensuring compliance.

“We have all the men, I mean, right from all the stakeholders, National Road Safety Authority, DVLA, other stakeholders. We have the right people to work, but here we are,” he stated.

He pointed to a culture of impunity on the roads, exacerbated by the lack of enforcement, highlighting everyday examples like cyclists and drivers operating without lights.

“The laws are there, but the major issue is enforcing the laws,” he said.

He also said that even traffic lights are routinely ignored due to the absence of police presence.

“People are running through traffic lights because the police are not there,” he explained, calling for a more visible and efficient road safety enforcement system to protect motorists and other road users.

While he acknowledged efforts by the Ghana Police Service, particularly the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to address the situation by deploying motor riders to enforce road traffic regulations, Garbrah insisted that more consistent and comprehensive enforcement are essential to curb rising road accidents.

He further criticised what he described as “selective outrage” surrounding road accidents, emphasising that incidents involving prominent individuals receive more attention than those affecting ordinary citizens.

“Unless maybe it’s a big man in court, then we’ll talk about it. But a little man, or the people who are in the villages that are being knocked down every day, we don’t talk about it,” he remarked.

As Ghana grapples with these tragic events, the call for improved infrastructure, stricter enforcement of traffic laws, and greater public awareness becomes increasingly urgent.

The hope is that with stronger measures, the nation can work towards a safer future on its roads and protect citizens from needless deaths.

JKB/AE

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