Road accidents have killed over 1,000 commuters between January and May 2018 in Ghana

iWatch Africa assessment of data provided by National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has revealed road accidents killed 1,008 commuters between January and May 2018.

This figure represents a 10.5% increase over the same period in 2017, where 912 commuters lost their lives through road traffic accidents.

A summary of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) and Casualty Situation compiled by the NRSC and the MTTD of the Ghana Police Service revealed that 5,630 persons sustained various degrees of injuries in the first five months of 2018.

This represents a 9.7% increase over the 5,133 commuters who sustained various degrees of injuries between January and May 2017.

Summary of RTC and Casualty Situation (Jan – May 2018)

9,142 Vehicles involved

The number of vehicles involved in these accidents jumped by 14.1%, from 8,015 in 2017 to 9,142 vehicles in 2018.

8.3% increase in reported cases

For the number of road traffic accident cases reported, it increased from 5,145 in 2017 to 5,573, an increase of 8.3%.

1,412 Pedestrians knocked down

Pedestrian knockdowns recorded a 6% increase in 2018 as a total of 1,327 pedestrians were reported to have been knocked down this year, compared to 1,412 in 2017.

2,845 Commercial vehicles involved in accidents

The number of commercial vehicles involved in accidents this year registered a 9.25% increase from 2,604 in 2017 to 2,845 in 2018.

Commercial vehicles involved in the accidents this year contributed 40.26% of all the accidents.

In the first five months of 2017, commercial vehicles involved in accidents contributed 41.11% of all total accidents.

2,961 Private vehicles accidents

Private vehicles involved in accidents went up by 11.44%, increasing from 2,657 last year to 2,961 this year.

In 2017, private vehicles contributed 41.95% of accidents in the first five months while it contributed 41.90% accidents during the same period this year.

Read Also: Safety Alert: 6 people die daily and 2,000 perish annually through road traffic crashes in Ghana

1,260 Motorcycles involved in accidents

Motorcycle accidents recorded a 17.54% increase this year, hitting 1,260 compared to the 1,072 registered in 2017.

Last year, motorcycle accidents contributed 16.92% of all accidents while in 2018, it went up to 17.83%.

Report by Gideon Sarpong | Data provided by MTTD &NRSC