1,585 deaths from road accidents have been reported in Ghana – NRSA

The new survey undertaken by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) indicates that at the end of August 2020, 1,585 casualties were reported.

This comes from a total of 9,205 road accidents in the country.

Speaking at a meeting with the Ghana Association of Journalists on proposals to reduce road mayhem, Engineer May Obiri Yeboah, Director General of NRSA, regretted the effect of road accidents on the economy.

At the end of August 2020, 9,205 collisions involving 15,459 cars were registered which resulted in 1,585 fatalities, 1,638 pedestrian knockdowns, which 9,397 injuries. This condition is a relative improvement in contrast with the condition during the same time last year. With an increase in the number of accidents of 0.34 percent, the number of cars affected has increased by 2.9 percent, mortality has increased by 0.13 percent, and accident reports have increased by 1.2 percent. However, in the pedestrian knockdown, there was a 17.61 percent drop.

Ing Obiri Yeboah observed that as 81 percent of crash victims were males, “Men are the most vulnerable to road traffic injuries.”

She also called on political parties, in their actions running up to the 2020 general elections, to stick to road safety legislation.

The numbers show a rise in road traffic accidents during the election year over the past two decades, except for 2008 and 2016. With the establishment of the presidential and legislative elections in 2020, we want to call on all political party leaders to review the political parties’ road safety code, which allows them to nominate road safety officers. For the better interest of the campaign, these officers have a duty to ensure internal oversight and the application of best practices in road safety procedures.

We would want to call on them to join the advocacy for positive conduct in terms of road safety, “she said.”

Source: https://citinewsroom.com/