First quarter road deaths rise "worrying and disappointing"

stacey

April 8, 2016 11:08 AM

Road deaths in Ghana over Easter dropped compared to last year, but there has been a significant increase in overall road deaths for the first quarter of 2016, compared to 2015.

A provisional report released to Pulse.com.gh by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) showed over the Easter period (Friday March 25 to Monday, March 28) 17 people died on the roads of Ghana, compared to 35 last Easter.

Over that period, there were 133 road accident cases reported to the commission this year, compared to 120 last year.

The vehicles involved, and persons injured were similar to last year. For vehicles involved, this year saw 217, last year was 218. For injuries, this year there were 131 people reported, a slight dip from the 136 last year.

For the Easter period, the most deadly area of Ghana was Accra, which had 5 fatalities, the Eastern region followed with three fatalities.

Across the country there were 36 pedestrians knocked down over the Easter period.

Head of communications for the NRSC, Kwame Koduah Atuahene said the drop could be attributed to the commission's collaboration with other stakeholders over the period, including police and the National Service Scheme.

Atuahene said the commission was focused on educating drivers and empowering passengers, and over Easter worked to be visible to as many drivers and passengers as possible across the country.

However, in the first quarter of 2016 (January through the March), provisional figures also supplied from the National Road Safety Commission found the total number of deaths on the roads in Ghana was 508, an increase from 395 in the same period last year.

The first quarter provisional results showed this year, the Brong Ahafo region's roads claims 108 lives, the highest number through Ghana. Accra came in second with 90 deaths. The Ashanti region had the third highest number of deaths at 78.

Of the total deaths through Ghana, 83 were people aged below 18 years.

It was a “worrying and disappointing” increase, and could partially be attributed to the Kintampo bus crash in February, Atuahene said.

The NRSC results of the investigation of the crash that claimed over 60 lives should be released this month.

The National Road Safety Commission wanted to empower passengers to “speak up against all forms of driver misbehavior even at the point of departure.”

stacey