Director of Education, Research and Training at the Police MTTD, Chief Superintendent Alexander Kwaku Obeng, has raised fresh concerns over the country’s escalating road safety crisis, revealing disturbing statistics ahead of the Christmas festivities.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Friday, December 12, he disclosed that 13,000 road crashes were reported between January and November this year, a figure he described as “perplexing” and deeply worrying.
According to him, the crashes involved over 22,000 vehicles, spanning private cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. He stressed that motorcycle-related incidents continue to dominate the trend and account for a significant portion of severe injuries and deaths.
Chief Supt. Obeng noted that within the same 11-month period, 13,000 Ghanaians sustained injuries of varying degrees, adding that the severity of these cases has placed an enormous burden on families and the national healthcare system.
Even more alarming, he said, is that 2,600 people have died from road traffic crashes this year alone. Of these fatalities, 1,937 were males, while about 492 were females, reflecting a disproportionate impact on men, especially young adults.
Pedestrians have also suffered greatly. Chief Supt. Obeng revealed that 550 pedestrians lost their lives simply by walking along or attempting to cross the road. “Many of these deaths are linked to motorcycle crashes,” he said.
He warned that as Ghana enters the busy Yuletide season, typically one of the most dangerous periods on the road, the country faces heightened risks if urgent, collective action is not taken.
“The national road safety problem in Ghana calls for all hands on deck,” he emphasised, adding that the persistent rise in crashes shows that current safety interventions remain inadequate.
