Chief Superintendent Alexander Kwaku Obeng, Director of Education, Research and Training at the Police MTTD, has expressed serious concern over Ghana’s worsening road safety situation, presenting troubling new statistics ahead of the Christmas season.
In an interview on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Friday, December 12, he revealed that between January and November this year, the country recorded 13,000 road crashes—a figure he described as both “perplexing” and deeply alarming.
These incidents involved more than 22,000 vehicles, including private cars, commercial transport and motorcycles. He highlighted that motorcycle-related crashes remain the biggest contributor to severe injuries and deaths.
Chief Supt. Obeng noted that 13,000 people suffered various degrees of injuries within the same period, placing a heavy emotional and financial strain on families and stretching the national health system.
Even more troubling, he said, 2,600 people have died in road traffic crashes this year alone. Out of these fatalities, 1,937 were men while around 492 were women, showing that males—particularly young adults—are disproportionately affected.
Pedestrians have also faced significant danger, with 550 losing their lives while walking or attempting to cross the road. Many of these pedestrian deaths were linked to motorcycle crashes.
As Ghana approaches the festive season—typically one of the riskiest periods for road travel—he warned that the threat of crashes is likely to intensify unless swift, coordinated action is taken.
“The national road safety problem in Ghana calls for all hands on deck,” he stressed, noting that the continual rise in crashes proves that existing interventions are insufficient.
Source: citinews
