NRSA records marginal gains in road safety

The National Road Safety Authority has announced a 5.7% reduction in road crashes between January and October 2024, compared to the same period last year.

However, fatalities and injuries from road accidents have increased, raising concerns among stakeholders.

Road crash statistics for 2024

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Asaase News, the Public Relations Officer of the National Road Safety Authority, Pearl Adusu Sateckla, revealed that 11,127 crash cases were reported from January to October 2024, compared to 11,721 during the same period in 2023.

“January to October 2024, all cases reported, 11,127 compared to last year. Last year, we recorded 11,721. So, we see a 5.7% reduction. When we take all vehicles, all vehicle categories, meaning big trucks, buses, private cars, motorcycles, all of them, that were involved in the crashes, we have 18,879. That was recorded from January to October 2024 against last year’s of 19,920. So again, we made a little gain of 5.23% reduction. It means it has reduced marginally.

Increase in Fatalities

But despite the gains, the authority is concerned about the increase in fatalities and injuries.

“Meanwhile, the indicators that we recorded an increase are a major concern to us. As we said, our objective is to reduce road crashes with their resultant fatalities and injuries.

“But those ones, by October, had increased, which is a worry to the authority and our collaborators. We would have wished that the deaths and fatalities were reduced because they affect human lives directly. So, we are hoping that, as we journey on and put projects in place and interventions in place, we will see all indicators reducing, not marginally but significantly,” Sateckla added.

Measures for the festive season

As the festive season is upon us, the National Road Safety Authority says it has partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Ghana Police Service, and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to roll out “Operation Comply.”

This initiative focuses on sensitisation and enforcement of road safety regulations to minimise crashes.

“Together with the Bloomberg Philanthropies for Global Road Safety, we launched a campaign dubbed Operation Comply and not only the Bloomberg, but Ghana Police, MTTD. We placed cameras at a distance to dictate how motorists were plying that stretch and so when you are exceeding and exceeding the speed limit, the cameras capture you.”

“But what was different with the campaign launch was that we would not apprehend or prosecute you, but we would take your number, the police would help us park your car to educate you, and then we tell you about the speed limit and you should comply,” Sateckla revealed.

Caution to drivers

Pearl Sateckla also urged drivers to avoid speeding, especially during the festive season.

“Over-speeding is a very, very bad attitude of drivers in our country. So we need them to comply with that. So we’ve been going throughout the country, going on the road with police, DVLA, to continue to educate and enforce road traffic laws per the campaign that we are doing. People should lower their speed.”

“Also, not only concentrating on speed, wrongful overtaking. Wrongful overtaking brings about a head-on collision. Head-on collision also contributes to a lot of deaths and injuries.

So we beg or plead with our drivers. Although it is a season that can make money, please, they should be patient, they should be careful, they should be cautious and abide by the speed limit and not overtake anyhow,” Sateckla indicated.

Reporting by Clankson Acheampong in Accra

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