Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, has expressed fear that many Ghanaians are likely to develop spinal problems in the future because of the number of speed ramps found along Ghana’s major roads and highways.

He observed that as a result, traveling by road had become cumbersome and so unpleasant. Alhaji Sulemana expressed the fear during the Mid-year Performance Review Conference of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) held in Wa.

He said he would however not blame the authorities, saying it was as a result of their collective irresponsibility on the road that led to the erection of the too many legal and illegal speed ramps on the roads.

The Regional Minister said road safety is a developmental issue with direct correlation to good health, tourism, national image, growth and poverty reduction. Alhaji Sulemana said statistics of road traffic crashes which is in excess of 2,000 deaths annually is worrying, considering the dire consequences it lives on the country as a whole and families of victims in particular.

He said provisional statistics on road traffic crashes at the end of May, 2016 indicated that 5,135 road traffic crashes were reported involving 7,954 vehicles. Casualties comprised 888 fatalities, 4,517 injuries, and 1,171 pedestrians were knocked down either along or across the road Alhaji Sulemana said comparing that to the same period in 2015, there was an increase of 7.34 per cent in cases reported, with 7.30 per cent of vehicles involved and 31.43 per cent of pedestrians knocked down, while fatalities record stood at 27.04 per cent and 11.39 per cent obtained persons injured.

He said motorcycle usage had become a major means of transport in the region and statistics had revealed that from January to May this year, the fatality rate involving motorcycles had increased.

The staggering figures revealed that persons 20 persons were involved in fatal accident cases, 20 persons killed, with 113 persons injured while 105 vehicles were involved in accident and motorcycles stood at 55.

The Regional Minister said the statistics did not mirror a good road safety situation since the region is only half way through the year.

He called on Managers and Planners to come out with appropriate strategies and interventions to mitigate the occurrences of accidents in the region.