The increasing spate of road traffic accidents in Ghana has claimed the lives of 46,284 people in 27 years.

The figures covered the period between 1991 and 2018.

Averagely, 1,714 are people killed each year This means that on the average, 1,714 commuters were killed every year as a result of road traffic accidents.

The year 1994 recorded the lowest deaths of 824 while 2018 recorded the highest number of deaths, totalling 2,341.

128,208 Accident survivors seriously injured (1991- 2016) Between 1991 and 2016, a total of 128,208 accident survivors were seriously injured while 184,349 were slightly injured.

17,842 Pedestrians killed (1991- 2016) The annual distribution of fatalities by road user classes is: pedestrians – 17,842 (42.6%); mini buses – 8,296 (19.8%); cars – 4,842 (11.6%); Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV), also Large Goods Vehicle (HGV/LGV) – an 017 (9.6%); motorcycles – 3,512 (8.4%); cycle – 1,742 (4.1%); pick-up trucks – 1,155 (2.8%); and others – 511 (1.2%).

411 Killed between January and February 2019 Between January and February this year, 411 commuters were killed in 2,126 reported road traffic accidents involving 3,428 vehicles; and 2,440 were injured.

62 Killed last Friday Last Friday, 62 commuters died while 118 others sustained various degrees of injuries in two accidents.

Amoma Nkwanta accident killed 55 The accident at Ampomakurom in the Kintampo South District of the Bono East Region involved an Ankai VVIP bus with registration number GT 3916-17 from Accra to Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and a Kia Grand Bird, GT 5694-18, from Garu in the Northern Region to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Grand Bird caught fire The Grand Bird, travelling from Garu to Kumasi, caught fire, trapping the victims.

Out of the 108 total passengers on the two buses, 55 died.

Mass burial for 39 at Jema Muslim Cemetery A mass burial has been organised at Jema Muslim Cemetery for the 39 victims whose bodies burnt beyond recognition.

3 Female kids burnt Those burnt beyond recognition comprise 13 males, four adult females and three female kids.

The bodies of the remaining 16 dead passengers can be identified.

53 Passengers survived Out of the 53 passengers who survived the accident, 40 were sent to Jema Hospital whilst 13 were sent to Holy Family Hospital at Techiman.

7 Die in Ekumfi-Dunkwa accident Seven persons died while 68 others were injured in a fatal road accident which occurred at Ekumfi-Dunkwa.



Head-on collision

The vehicles on which they were travelling collided head-on along the Mankessim-Accra stretch of the highway in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region.

Four of the deceased, made up of three males and one female, died on the spot whilst three others died at the hospital Hospital.

Of the 68 persons injured, 23 were sent to Apam Hospital, 21 to the Mercy Women’s Hospital at Mankessim, 18 to the Saltpond Government Hospital and five to the Winneba Trauma and Specialists Care Hospital for treatment.

NRSC commiserates with victims

Head of Communications at the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Kwame Kodua Atuahene, in a statement, commiserated with the families of the departed and victims of this incident.

The statement said the unfortunate experience must as well provide the catalyst for stakeholders in the road safety sub-sector to address the longstanding gap of regulating the operations of commercial vehicle operators.

It reminded motorists that road safety is a way of life that must be achieved by observing basic safety precautions on speeding, fatigue and destructive driving while passengers assume frontline roles by speaking up against driver misbehaviour.

Experts blame increasing road traffic accidents on negligence and disregard for road safety regulations by drivers, particularly excessive speeding and wrongful overtaking.

The absence of road signs, roadway markings, street lighting and safe crossing facilities for pedestrians, such as footbridges, as well as deficiencies associated with road infrastructure, are also critical factors that contribute to road traffic accidents.



DEATHS BY AGE GROUPS (1991-2016)

0-5yrs = 2,393 killed Out of the number of commuters killed during the period, 2,393 were children between the ages of five years and below. This represents 6.4% of all deaths during the period.

6-15yrs = 4,506 killed The age group of 6 to 15 years recorded 4,506 deaths, which represents 12% of the fatalities.

16-25yrs = 6,351 A total of 6,351 commuters whose ages range from 16 to 25 were also killed in road traffic accidents between 1991 and 2016. This represents 17% of all deaths.

26-35yrs = 9,660 The NRSC data put the number of fatalities for the age group of 26 to 35 at 9,660, representing 25.8%.

36-45yrs = 6,537 The data revealed that 6,537, representing 17.5% of travellers, aged 36 to 45 years, died from road traffic crashes during the period.

46-55yrs = 3,618 The age of 46 to 55 years recorded 3,618 deaths, and this represents 9.7%.

56-65yrs = 2,540 A total of 2,540 from the age group 56 to 65 years also died in accidents during the period.

Above 65yrs = 1,817 Also, the age group above 65 years registered 1,817 deaths, representing 4.9% of all deaths during the period.

YEARLY DEATHS

1991 = 920 killed Data reveal that the number of people killed in accidents in 1991 was 920.

1992 = 914 killed The fatalities dropped to 914 in 1992.

1993 = 901 Killed The deaths went down further to 901 in 1993.

1994 = 824 killed The fatalities from road crashes dropped sharply to 824 fatalities in 1994.

1995 = 1,026 killed However, in 1995, deaths from road accidents increased to 1,026, an increase of 202 more deaths than the 824 recorded in the previous year.

1996 = 1,049 killed In 1996, the fatalities rose to 1,049.

1997 = 1,015 killed It, however, dropped to 1,015 deaths in 1997.

1998 = 1,419 killed The year 1998 witnessed a jump in fatalities to 1,419, an increase of 404 additional deaths.

1998 = 1,237 killed The total number of fatalities recorded decreased to 1,237 in 1998.

2000 = 1,437 killed However, in the year 2000, there was a spike in the total accident fatalities as the figure rose to 1,437.

2001 = 1,660 killed The deaths from road crashes went up further in 2001, recording 1,660 deaths.

2002 = 1,665 killed For the year 2002, the fatalities increased to 1,665.

2003 = 1,716 killed According to the data from NRSC, 1,716 commuters died from road traffic crashes in 2003.

2004 = 2,186 killed The number of people killed in road accidents hit 2,186 in the year 2004.

2005 = 1,779 killed But there was big drop in fatalities when the figure dipped to 1,779 in 2005.

2006 = 1,856 killed However, the drop could not be sustained as the deaths recorded an increase in 2006 to 1,856 fatalities.

2007 = 2,043 killed The year 2007 also witnessed an increase as the fatalities jumped to 2,043.

2008 = 1,938 killed There was a slight decrease in the figure to 1,938 in 2008 compared to the previous year figure of 2,043.

2009 = 2,237 killed For the year 2009, deaths from road accidents increased sharply to 2,237 as against the previous year’s figure of 1,938.

2010 = 1,986 killed It recorded slight drop to 1,986 fatalities from road traffic crashes in the year 2010.

2011 = 2,199 killed However, the drop could not be sustained as the deaths spiked to 2,199 in the year 2011.

2012 = 2,240 killed It went up again in 2012 as the number of people killed in accidents rose to 2,240 commuters.

2013 = 1,898 killed In 2013, a total of 1,898 commuters died from road traffic crashes, representing a reduction from the 2,240 that died in 2012.

2014 = 1,836 killed It dropped further to 1,836 in the year 2014.

2015 = 1,802 killed In 2015, fatalities from road traffic crashes reduced to 1,802.

2016 = 2,084 killed However, in 2016, a total of 2,084 were killed, representing a sharp increase.



YEAR PERSONS KILLED

1991 920

1992 914

1993 901

1994 824

1995 1,026

1996 1,049

1997 1,015

1998 1,419

1999 1,237

2000 1,437

2001 1,660

2002 1,665

2003 1,716

2004 2,186

2005 1,779

2006 1,856

2007 2,043

2008 1,938

2009 2,237

2010 1,986

2011 2,199

2012 2,240

2013 1,898

2014 1,836

2015 1,802

2016 2, 084

2017 2,076

2018 2,341