Road crash deaths increase by over 30 per cent in July

 By Eric Appah Marfo  

Accra, Aug.19, GNA—Road crash death toll for July 2023 increased by 30.07 per cent as compared to July 2022, a Road Traffic Crash and Casualty Situation report has indicated. 

A total of 186 persons were recorded to have died through road crashes in July 2023 whereas 143 persons died in July 2022. 

The report said 149 of the dead were males (representing 80 per cent) whilst 37 were females (representing 20 per cent). 

A total of 1,328 persons got injured with 213 pedestrians knocked down.  

The report said it recorded 1,233 road crashes in July 2023, involving 2,099 vehicles. 

It said out of the total number of vehicles involved in the crashes, 742 of them were commercial, 917 were private and 440 of them were motorcycles. 

In July 2023, 325 motorbikes (only 2 wheelers) constituted 74 per cent of crashes involving all cycles whilst 93 tricycles (3 wheelers) contributed 21 per cent, followed by 17 bicycles and five handcarts constituting four per cent and one per cent respectively. 

Comparing the period of July 2023 to the same period in 2022, there has been a 4.31 per cent increase in the number of cases reported. 

Private vehicles constituted the largest proportion of vehicles involved in crashes in July 2023, representing 43.69 per cent followed by commercial vehicles with 35.35 per cent and motorcycles with the least proportion of 20.96 per cent. 

According to the report, private vehicles recorded a decrease in the numbers involved in crashes in 2023 as compared to 2022.  

However, commercial vehicles and motorcycles crash involvement increased by 17.59 per cent and 2.09 per cent respectively in 2023 when compared to 2022. 

There was a 4.91 per cent decrease in the number of pedestrian knock-downs in July 2023 as compared to July 2022. 

The number of persons injured through road crashes in July 2023 increased by 8.76 per cent in comparison to the same period in 2022. 

Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern regions were the top three regions recording high number of crashes in July 2023. 

Greater Accra experienced 469 crashes; Ashanti region recorded 299 crashes, whilst Eastern region had 139 crashes. 

North East, Oti and Savanna regions recorded the three lowest number of crashes. 

They recorded three, two and one crashes respectively. 

GNA