Stone and Axe: When Accra Traffic Turns Ugly

Last Tuesday began like any ordinary Accra workday — until the road had other plans.

Heading out that morning, gridlock stretched from Tema Community 25 all the way to the Motorway. Word on the radio: an accident on that already notorious stretch — a tanker and a car, details still unclear. I diverted through the Beach Road. It was raining, so traffic was slow but orderly — bumper to bumper, nobody willing to let anyone overlap.

That's when tempers began to show. I had wound my way through one of the inner community roads — I couldn't tell you exactly which one — when a minibus driver overtook recklessly and tried to force his way past a Toyota Vitz ahead. The Vitz driver, sensing the pressure from behind, moved to block him. The bus driver refused to yield. The Vitz driver accelerated, cut sharply in front of the bus, and parked abruptly — narrowly avoiding a collision with the vehicle behind. Heated words followed.

I saw a gap, slipped through quietly — “Otelɔ” — and continued to work. Mind your business. Move on.

Evening: From "Buga Buga" to Broken Glass

The drive home started smoothly enough. Then, at ARS Junction on the Dawhenya stretch, traffic locked up again — proper “buga buga”. Not even an ant could pass.

A Ford F-150 crept past me and tried to muscle its way into the queue ahead of another pickup — a Toyota Hilux, I think, though I was too busy watching the drama unfold to check the badge. What followed was the kind of silent standoff that Accra drivers know well — two men, two engines, neither willing to blink. In my head I could hear the Hilux driver thinking, “Aha ne hen" — come and try it. And the F-150 responding, “Walahi”, “I go enter."

The Ford pushed forward anyway. The Hilux driver got out, picked up a stone, and smashed the Ford's driver-side mirror. Words flew. The Ford driver stepped out too. They squared up. For a moment it seemed it might end there. It didn't.

The Ford attempted to push forward a second time. The Hilux driver read it as a provocation — I imagined the Hilux driver thinking, master, you cannot bully me with your size. Then “Opana” – the Ford driver retrieved a short axe from his vehicle and knocked off the Hilux's driver-side mirror. The Hilux driver responded with a large stone to the Ford's rear windscreen, cracking it. He reached for another. The Ford driver lifted a stone of his own — a warning. It worked, briefly.

But the Hilux driver, a proud graduate of the Stubborn Academy, was not finished. He hurled a stone at the Ford's rear passenger window. It shattered. There were passengers inside. They climbed out — unhurt, thankfully — and moved quickly to safety.

I overtook the gathering crowd of onlookers and continued home.

Later, I spotted a policewoman photographing the scene, an officer on a motorbike, and a police pickup at the junction. The Ford, I noticed, was being directed toward the station.

But Did It Have to Come to This?
Whether or not the F-150's mirror was actually damaged, the Ford driver had another option entirely — a police station stood not far ahead. He could have driven straight there and reported what had happened. Instead, both men chose the road as their courtroom.

As I grow older, I have come to understand something simple: patience is not weakness. It is the thing that keeps you out of court, out of debt, and out of the evening news.

By now, I suspect both men regret what happened on that road. But the harm is done.

What Happens Next?
On the question of insurance, I consulted an expert in Ghana's insurance sector. Comprehensive motor insurance typically covers accidental damage to your own vehicle — but damage caused intentionally during a dispute is usually excluded. The Third Party insurance covers accidental injury and death for use of the insured motor vehicle as well as damage you cause to others' property, not to your own. If the damage is deemed willful, both drivers will likely pay out of pocket. Their insurers may reject the claims outright. The expert noted, however, that the passengers — who played no part in the altercation — may be in a stronger position to seek recourse.

On the legal side, under Ghana's Criminal Offences Act, both men could face charges of offensive conduct, unlawful damage, and affray or breach of the peace. Had the stone injured those passengers, the charge could have risen to causing harm. Their vehicles may be impounded as exhibits. Court fines, compensation orders, and a criminal record are all real possibilities — and all of it over traffic.

Final Word
Accra traffic is genuinely frustrating. Accidents happen, the rains come, and there will always be days when the road locks up and patience wears thin. But no destination is worth a criminal record. No lane is worth someone's life.

Next time you feel that anger rising, do what I did: take a breath, find your gap, and “Otelɔ”.

The road owes you nothing. But your future does.

Author: Felix Ekow Eshun
Founder, Lixfel
Your Trusted Online Store for Everyday Essentials