A total of 1,126 people were killed in road accidents countrywide between January and August 2010, Deputy Commander of Police Motor Transport and Traffic Unit, Chief Superintendent Deborah Addison-Campbell, has said.

She said the period also recorded 8,702 accidents involving 12, 212 vehicles, adding that the spate of road accidents was worrisome not only to stakeholders in the road sector, but the nation as a whole.

Ms. Addison-Campbell, who was speaking to the Times in Accra, said the majority of the accidents were through human errors that could have been avoided.

She said though the police and other institutions were doing their best to reduce the carnage by educating drivers to be careful on the road, “it appears the effort is not yielding the desired results.”

“The police and other institutions may be doing their best to reduce the menace, but our efforts need to be complemented by the public, including parents, teachers, community and opinion leaders by advising people to be cautious while using the roads,” she said.

She added that statistics within the period under review showed that 1,253 pedestrians were knocked down by vehicles, and 7,730 were injured many of whom were hospitalized and maimed.

Ms. Campbell identified speeding, drunk driving, disrespect for road signs, reckless overtaking and absentmindedness on the part of drivers as major factors that caused road accidents.

The Deputy Commander said road accidents throw homes and communities into a state of mourning adding that time had come for everyone, particularly drivers, to learn lessons from such disasters by making conscious efforts to avoid them.