The Central Regional Road Safety Authority has disclosed that for the first half of the year 2020, the Region, provisionally recorded 406 cases of road accidents, indicating a significant decrease of 10 percent as against 452 cases in 2019.
There is also a decrease of 12 percent with regards to vehicles involved in the crashes. There were 680 vehicles involved as against 769 last year. As well, there were reductions in the commercial vehicles and private vehicles involved in the crashes.
Some 96 persons were knocked down this year as against 134 in 2019, also indicating a decrease of 28 percent.
That notwithstanding, the Region has recorded an increment in the number of lives claimed by road accidents. From January to June 2020, 136 were killed while against 89 deaths in 2019, giving an increase of 53 percent.
The statistics from the National Road Safety Authority also indicated that most road accident deaths were recorded in the first quarter of the year, citing the case of the Dompuase Road crash which claimed over 30 lives in January 2020 as a contributory factor.
Persons who suffered both minor and major injuries made up 14 percent. That is, 677 in 2020 as against 791 in 2019.
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For the first half of this year, provisional figures from the National Road Safety Authority, indicate a total of 6, 675 recorded road crashes nationwide, with 11,137 vehicles involved. 1,175 pedestrians were knocked down while 1,141 persons have been killed in road accidents with 6, 822 persons injured.
According to the Authority, the Central Region contributed about six (6) percent to the total road crashes, pedestrian knockdown 8 percent, while persons killed were about 12 percent to the National statistics and for persons injured, the region contributed about 10 percent to the national figures.
Central Regional Head of the National Road Safety Authority, Linda Affotey Annan said the rather low provisional figures recorded in the Region can be attributed to the advent of the COVID 19 and also education from their quarters.
“We can attribute the reduction to COVID 19. During the lockdown, there were fewer travels and fewer movements. We didn’t even celebrate Easter for instance, and Easter is one of the periods where we record crashes with schools vacating and children going home. Aside from that people move to their hometowns. There are also a lot of celebrations, churches having conventions and other activities but most of these things were basically not seen”
“In the course of the first half too what we have been doing is going round to do education in terms of the social distance where they have to keep safe, and per vehicle the number of people sitting in it also reduced”, she added.
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With the influx of rickshaws, popularly known as ‘pragyia’, the indiscipline on the road has been one that the region has contended with, in recent times.
The number of motorcycles according to Madam Affotey Annan, involved in the crashes has increased by 41 percent with 157 cases being recorded as against 111 cases last year. She said work is earnestly being done to review the law to resolve the issue.
“We have actually consulted stakeholders who are reviewing the laws. Technocrats have also sat on it to see how best we can look at the whole situation”.
The Regional Director has also admonished all persons to observe the COVID 19 protocols particularly in relation to transportation.
She further charged passengers to be bold and politely speak up when drivers are not conforming to road regulations.
“Our lives are more important for us to save than for us to keep quiet and be killed on the road”, she advised.
While the statistics from the National Road Safety Authority may be positive, there is still the need for all road users to adhere to road regulations in order to reduce the rate of road crashes in Ghana.
Source: Victoria Enyonam Adonu /ATLFMNEWS
