Once again, blood spills on Ghana’s highways. The Accra-Kumasi Road, that vital artery linking two of our greatest cities, has turned into a graveyard, claiming lives daily. The relentless drumbeat of accidents echoes through our streets, while the hollow promises of leaders and officials drown in the wails of mourning families. How many more must die? How many more bones must be broken? How many more dreams must be buried beneath the asphalt before we, as a nation, acknowledge that this carnage is preventable?

Let’s call it what it is: the government has failed, and it has failed spectacularly. For decades, successive administrations have paid lip service to the idea of road safety, while the very roads they oversee become death traps. We build highways that are little more than single-lane runways for disaster, wide enough for two vehicles to collide head-on, but not wide enough for one to survive. The Accra-Kumasi highway remains undualised—a 21st-century relic in a country that claims to prioritise development. This is no accident. This is negligence. This is blood on the hands of those who could have acted but chose to do nothing.

The government’s attitude toward road safety is nothing short of an insult to the people of this country. Billions are spent on grand projects, political campaigns, and flashy infrastructure, while the roads that carry the lifeblood of the nation—its people—are left to rot. Is human life so cheap in Ghana that we cannot invest in basic safeguards? Every time a government official appears on television to express “sadness” over another fatal accident, it rings hollow. We don’t need crocodile tears. We need action. We need dualized highways. We need barriers to prevent head-on collisions. We need investment in emergency response systems that save lives, not leave victims bleeding on the roadside for hours.

But it’s not just the government. Drivers too have a role in this bloodletting. Our roads have become speedways for reckless driving, where speed limits are ignored, road signs are disrespected, and common sense is cast aside. What is it about driving in Ghana that makes people think they are invincible? Is it arrogance? Is it ignorance? Or is it simply that the law is so poorly enforced that drivers feel they can get away with anything?

There’s no excuse for the level of recklessness we see on our roads. Drivers overtake on blind curves, race through towns, and flaunt basic safety rules. It’s as if the steering wheel becomes a weapon in their hands, and they wield it carelessly, endangering everyone around them. And when accidents inevitably happen, lives are shattered—not just the lives of the victims, but their families, their communities, and the very fabric of the nation. Every speeding car, every careless swerve, every ignored traffic light is a potential death sentence.

It’s time to stop sugar-coating the problem. The carnage on our roads is not just a tragedy—it’s a crime. A crime of government inaction. A crime of reckless driving. A crime of indifference to human life. And we, the people, should not accept it any longer.

Where are the bold reforms? Where are the dualized highways, the functional traffic cameras, the speed bumps in accident-prone areas? Where are the breathalysers to catch drunk drivers before they kill someone? Where are the strict penalties for those who endanger lives with reckless driving? Enough of the “sensitization campaigns” that lead nowhere. We don’t need more billboards with smiling faces telling us to drive safely. We need enforcement. We need accountability.

Political parties, both ruling and opposition, are complicit in this disaster. They should be ashamed. Year after year, campaign after campaign, road safety is relegated to the side-lines, a mere talking point, not a priority. Yet, this is the very issue that should unite us all because it affects every Ghanaian, regardless of tribe, religion, or political affiliation. It’s time for the politicians to put down their petty squabbles and take real action. Enough of the empty promises. We need roads that save lives, not take them.

To the government: Wake up! The people of Ghana are not statistics to be mourned on television. They are mothers, fathers, children, and friends. Their lives matter. Dualize our highways. Enforce the laws. Show us that you value human life.

To the drivers: Slow down. Follow the rules. Respect life. The road is not yours alone. Every reckless action you take puts someone’s life at risk. Don’t wait until it’s too late to realize the weight of that responsibility.

To the people of Ghana: Demand better. Hold your leaders accountable. The death toll on our roads is not an inevitability; it’s a choice. A choice to do nothing. And we can choose to change that. Let this be the last time we bury our loved ones because the roads failed us. Let this be the last time we accept excuses from those in power.

The time for action is now. Because if we don’t act, we might as well prepare our shovels and mourners, for the roads will claim even more of us before this nightmare ends.