The Head of Education, Research and Training at the MTTD, DSP Mr Alexander Obeng who announced this during a press conference on Monday attributed the situation to the irresponsible driving displayed by both private and commercial drivers on the country’s highways.

According to DSP Obeng, statistics from their outfit show an average of 59 people get injured nationwide through road accidents everyday since the beginning of 2018.

His assertions come after the death of about twenty-seven (27) passengers through three (3) separate road accidents during last weekend.

“We can’t have any prevention than what research has shown in Ghana that if 100 crashes occur, about 52 are as a result of excessive speeding and out of this too, you realise that about 70% is as a result of unlawful overtaking,” he told reporters.

He continued: “If 592 Ghanaians have been killed within three months from 1st January to 31st March this year, and over 3,300 have been injured, then obviously if history is anything to go by, it must be more.”

To him, if drivers use highways with caution and avoid excessive speeding and overtaking, the alarming numbers could reduce and roads will be safer for Ghanaians.

Drivers To Blame For Crashes

DSP Obeng also bemoaned the spate of road carnage that keep killing and injuring thousands annually.

He stated that besides the enforcement of road regulations, there are some basic responsibilities that need to be addressed to reduce the the number of crashes on the country’s highways.

He mentioned the refusal of drivers to regularly maintain their vehicles, the rush to reach destinations to maximize sales through “excessive speeding [and] unlawful overtaking” as the basic known causes of motor accidents.

“…And we ask ourselves is it that they are not aware? Is it that when we admonish them they are intolerant?” he quizzed while lamenting the neglect of safety precautions on the part of commercial drivers.

He however reiterated the MTTD’s commitment to educate drivers and continue to punish lawbreakers to deter others.

Incidents

A total of twenty seven (27) died from three separate accidents between Saturday and Sunday last weekend.

Two of the crashes which happened in the Northern region claimed twenty (20) lives. The first one happened on Saturday, April 14 at Savelugu in Tamale. Two persons who were on a tricycle loaded with firewood from Diara were crashed by a cargo truck which was also loaded with lumber from Savelugu heading to Diara.

According to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mohammed Yusif Tanko, preliminary investigations revealed that the rope tying the firewood on the tricycle also known as motor king got torn “and the rider lost his balance and rode into the lane of the oncoming cargo truck.”

One person on the tricycle, according to police, was smashed beyond recognition on the spot hence a medical officer performed the autopsy on the spot. The other on the tricycle also died later at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

On Sunday dawn at about 1:42AM, another head-on collision involving two buses killed 18 passengers at the Yapei-Yipala highway near Buipe in the Northern region.

On Sunday afternoon, the third accident which happened on the Tarkwa-Bogoso highway in the Western region killed five (5) on the spot while two others died while receiving treatment.

Report by Gideon Sarpong | Data provided by the MTTD

The post Safety Alert: 6 people die daily and 2,000 perish annually through road traffic crashes in Ghana appeared first on iWatch Africa.

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

The post Road accidents have killed over 1,000 commuters between January and May 2018 in Ghana appeared first on iWatch Africa.