Our collective responsibility to ensure safety on our roads is non negotiable as human factor is key in all accidents. One considered to be critical and featured as major causes of crashes globally is over speeding . In Ghana, this problem of increase travel speed is particularly alarming, as studies have revealed that over 90% of drivers exceed speed limits right after crossing congested areas and at least 60% on rural highways. The consequences of speeding are dire, responsible for 60% of pedestrian fatalities and contributing to a significant percentage of overall road fatalities.
Motorists speed excessively during the Christmas and New Year festive season due to the increase in travel and other economic activities that come along with the season. Statistics indicate that speeding is associated with nearly 40% of fatalities and over 32% of injuries. The analysis underscores the urgency of addressing this issue through targeted interventions to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries.
Provisional Statistics from the Police MTTD show crash records from January to October 2023 as, 11,694 cases were reported from 19,875 vehicles involved, 1,839 persons were killed, with 12,678 persons injured and 2,060 pedestrian knockdowns. Comparing to the same year 2022, 12,565 cases were reported resulting in 21,593 vehicles involved, 1,985 persons killed, 13,119 persons injured and 2,209 pedestrian knockdowns. Though these direct a reduction in all indictors, we still have more work to do to reduce the statistics to the barest minimum.
The authority with the objective of maintaining the gains of the traffic crash records in Ghana and to ensure safe travel environment in the country has strategized to focus and implement speed reduction activities to combat the unacceptable conduct of drivers during this period. Accordingly, the theme for the 2023 Road Safety Christmas Campaign is: “Stop Speeding, Stay Alive.”
