By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, June 17, GNA – The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has reported an 18.9 per cent increase in road crash fatalities between January and May 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.
According to the NRSA’s National Road Traffic Crash and Casualty Situation Statistics report, 1,267 lives were lost during the first five months of 2025, up from 1,066 in the corresponding period last year.
Road crash incidents rose by 8.9 per cent, with 6,111 cases recorded, up from 5,609 in 2024.
These involved 10,378 vehicles—private, commercial, and motorcycles—and resulted in 8,278 casualties, including 1,267 deaths and 7,011 injuries.
Crashes were classified as minor (2,903 cases or 48%), serious (2,213 or 36%), and fatal (995 or 16%).
Fatal crashes involve at least one death within 30 days; serious crashes involve hospitalisation of at least 24 hours; and minor crashes result in hospitalisation for less than 24 hours or no injury.
Pedestrian knockdowns also rose by 9.9 per cent to 1,095 cases in 2025, compared to 996 in 2024.
Of the fatalities, 140 (11%) were children under 18, while 1,127 (89%) were adults—highlighting a 7:1 ratio of adult to child deaths.
Male fatalities accounted for 992 (78%), and females 275 (22%), continuing the trend of higher male fatality rates.
Private vehicles were involved in 41 per cent of crashes, followed by commercial vehicles (34%) and motorcycles (25%).
Crash involvement increased across all vehicle types: motorcycles by 21.1 per cent, commercial vehicles by 7 per cent, and private vehicles by 3.1 per cent.
Two-wheel motorcycles made up 73 per cent of cycles involved in crashes, tricycles 24 per cent, and bicycles and handcarts 3 per cent.
Although motorcycles accounted for the smallest share of total crashes (25%), their crash rate was disproportionately high relative to their road population.
Regionally, Greater Accra recorded the highest number of crashes (1,908) but ranked third in fatalities (161).
The Ashanti Region followed with 1,850 crashes and led in deaths (325), while the Eastern Region was third in crashes (842) but second in fatalities (268).
The Savannah Region recorded the highest increase (52%) in crash incidents, while the Northern Region had the largest decrease (51.16%).
For injuries, the Northeast Region saw the highest rise (277.3%), while the Northern Region recorded the largest drop (71.3%).
Most key indicators increased in January–May 2025 compared to 2024.
However, the Greater Accra Region saw a 9.04 per cent reduction in deaths, while fatalities in Ashanti rose by 14 per cent—41 more deaths than last year.
Despite Greater Accra recording over twice the crashes of the Eastern Region, the latter had a higher fatality rate: 28 deaths per 100 crashes, compared to 10 in Greater Accra.
The Ashanti, Eastern, and Greater Accra regions remain the most critical areas for Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths (CIDs) nationwide.
The NRSA stated it “would continue to intensify collaborative efforts with stakeholders to reverse the troubling trend.”
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey