2,373 perish in motor accidents in 2022 nationwide
A total of 2,373 deaths resulting from motor accidents across the country were recorded for the year 2022, the National Road Safety Authority (NSRA) has said.
The figure is against the 2,970 deaths recorded in 2021 representing a 20.10 per cent decrease.
The Board Chairman of the NSRA, Jermaine Nkrumah, in a report by the authority copied to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday stated that a total of 14,960 crashes were recorded in 2022 as against 16, 182 crashes in 2021, representing a 7.55 per cent decrease.
He said that 27,616 vehicles were involved in the crashes last year as against 25, 754 vehicles involved in the crashes in 2021, representing a 6.74 per cent change.
Mr Nkrumah also indicated that 15,690 injuries were documented as against 15,935 injuries noted in 2021, representing a 1.54 per cent decrease.
For pedestrian knockdowns, he said a total of 2,680 pedestrians were knocked down last year as against 2,973 pedestrians knocked down in 2021, representing a 9.86 per cent change.
Mr Nkrumah commended the Director General, NSRA, David Adonteng and the amazing team at the National Road Safety Authority, as well as all our partnering stakeholders for this phenomenal achievement.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO), NSRA, Pearl Adusu, in a telephone interview in Accra yesterday revealed that there had not been any decrease in road crashes and its attendant consequences in the past six to seven years, adding that “if there was a decrease, it could either be in injuries or deaths.”
She said the authority’s “Stay Alive Campaign” had been a major contributory factor in the reductions seen in road crashes recorded last year.
“We draw a lot of stakeholders in the campaign through the programmes, activities and interventions. The campaign also gave us large reach through the media.
“Our coordinated enforcement actions with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) shows and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) also played a huge role,” she stated.
The PRO of the NSRA used the opportunity to urge duty bearers to up their game and live up to task and also entreated road users to obey road traffic regulations to save more lives.
Meanwhile, data available from the Ghana Police Service (GPS), Motor Traffic and Transport Department shows that Ashanti Region leads with 448 deaths; Eastern follows with 426 deaths, then Accra with 378 deaths; Tema had 160 deaths and Central had 153 deaths.
Western Region follows with 97 deaths; Bono East with 91 deaths; Western North with 87 deaths; Volta had 84 deaths; Ahafo with 82 deaths; Bono with 71 deaths; Northern with 68 deaths.
The Central East and the Savannah regions recorded 51 deaths each; Upper East had 42; Upper West had 40 deaths while the Oti and the North East recorded 22 deaths each.
BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR
