Road traffic crashes and deaths in Accra dropped from 1,808 in 2021 to 1,416 in 2022, representing a 22% decrease. Similarly, reported road traffic deaths decreased from 123 in 2021 to 102 in 2022—a 17% decrease.
These latest statistics were revealed by the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, when she launched the Accra Road Safety Report for 2022 recently.
According to the report, which was produced in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), the Ghana Police Service, Vital Strategies and the Ghana National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), vulnerable road users—pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists—made up 77% of the reported fatalities in 2022.
The report, which is the fifth to be released by the AMA, further revealed that males accounted for 82% of road traffic deaths and 74% of serious injuries, with the highest proportion of deaths recorded among victims aged 20 to 29 years.
Key findings in the report indicated that pedestrians accounted for 55% of the reported fatalities in 2022, while deaths were frequently reported following crashes which occurred between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The report revealed that “about half (47%) of the reported deaths occurred from crashes on weekends. The high-risk fatal crash locations were: Avenor Junction along J. A. Kufuor Avenue; Opeibea intersection along Liberation Road; Hansonic Junction along Dr. Busia Highway; Lapaz intersection; and North Dzorwulu intersection—both locations along George Walker Bush Highway (N1)”.
The report also noted that an observational study on speeding in October 2022 showed a 43% prevalence of speeding in Accra.
The Mayor stressed the need to sustain efforts to reduce deaths drastically and expressed appreciation to all stakeholders whose actions and support led to the reduction in road traffic crashes and deaths from 1,808 and 136 in 2021 to 1,416 and 102 in 2022, respectively.
The National Road Safety Authority commended AMA for its tremendous work and consistency in producing these informative reports over the years.
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) works with the world’s leading road safety organizations to design strategies, implement activities and coordinate with in-country governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders.