E/Region Leads In Road Accident Fatalities For 2018

In a year that has seen a significant increase in road accidents, Eastern Region leads in road fatalities with 224 deaths in the first half of 2018.

This is followed by the Ashanti Region with 207 deaths, according to provisional motor accident data from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC).

In all, there have been 1,212 fatalities recorded in road accidents nationwide alongside 6,698 injured persons recorded.

The two regions represented 35.5 percent of the national fatalities from road accidents.

The Eastern Region contributed to 18.4 percent of deaths, while the Ashanti Region stands at 17 percent of deaths.

The volume of death in these two regions is unlikely to come as a surprise as most of the widely reported road crashes have occurred on the Accra-Kumasi highway, which runs through the Ashanti Region through the Eastern Region to the Greater Accra Region.

Suhum, in particular , has been the scene of multiple grisly accidents claiming at least 15 lives.

The two Metropolises in the Greater Accra Region, Tema and Accra, recorded 44 and 143 deaths respectively; combining for 197 fatalities.

The Upper West Region and Upper East Region recorded the least fatalities with 36 and 41 deaths respectively.

The road fatalities included 397 pedestrians deaths. The highest of these figures recorded in the Greater Accra Region; with 107 in Accra and 17 in Tema.

The Ashanti and Eastern Regions followed with 69 and 47 pedestrian deaths respectively.

These figures fall under the umbrella of the 6,745 crashes reported nationwide, of which 933 where fatal accidents.

In view of the alarming rate of road accidents, President Nana Akufo-Addo approved an action plan in April 2017 to address the causes of these accidents.

The plan was to focus on sensitization, law enforcement and improving road signages.

Under the sensitization aspects of the deal, the government is to resource the National Road Safety Commission to scale up public education and sensitization on road safety with an additional GHc 6.5 million from the Road Fund.

The police are also to enforce Road Traffic Laws through spot fines by automation of MTTD operations.

The government will also be providing at least GHc 335 million a year to the Ghana Highway Authority, Department of Urban Roads and Department of Feeder Roads to provide signage and road marks over a three year period.