The Upper East region of Ghana witnessed an increase in road traffic crashes and casualties in 2023 compared to 2022, according to new provisional statistics from the region’s authorities.
The number of reported road accident cases increased by 5.93% from 135 in 2022 to 143 in 2023. The number of vehicles involved also rose by 11.06% from 217 to 241. More worryingly, road traffic deaths jumped by a huge 54.76% from 42 in 2022 to 65 last year.
Pedestrian knockdowns saw one of the highest increases, rising 44.44% from 18 incidents in 2022 to 26 in 2023. The total number of persons injured in road crashes however dropped slightly, by 5.03%, from 159 to 151.
Analyzing the monthly figures, January 2023 saw the highest number of road crashes at 20, while July saw the lowest at just 2. For persons injured, January again topped the list with 26 casualties, and May was the lowest with 8 injuries.
In terms of fatalities, the death rate increased by approximately 8 deaths per month in 2023, compared to a reduction of 4 deaths per month in 2022.
Most road traffic deaths occurred among motorcyclists and their passengers, accounting for 44 out of the 65 total fatalities. Pedestrians followed with 25 deaths, while occupants of commercial and private vehicles recorded just 3 deaths each. This highlights the vulnerability of motorcycle users in the region.
The proportion of commercial vehicles involved in crashes almost doubled from 12.83% in 2022 to 22.82% last year. However, the share of private vehicles and motorcycles dropped slightly. Motorcycles still constituted the bulk, making up 58.92% of vehicles in road crashes.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
