By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Dec. 24, GNA – A total of 2,673 persons died in road crashes between January and November 2025, representing an 18.5 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2024.
A National Road Traffic Crash and Casualty Situation Statistics Report indicated that 13,320 road traffic crashes were recorded during the period, involving 22,532 vehicles of all categories, including private, commercial and motorcycles, resulting in 15,173 injuries.
It noted that cases reported, vehicles involved, persons injured and pedestrian knockdowns increased by 7.3 per cent, 6.4 per cent, 5.7 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively, compared with the same period last year.
Of the total crashes, 47 per cent (6,213) were minor, 36 per cent (4,873) were serious, and 17 per cent (2,234) were fatal.
The report defined fatal crashes as incidents resulting in at least one death within 30 days, serious crashes as requiring hospitalisation exceeding 24 hours, and minor crashes as involving less than 24-hour hospitalisation or no injuries.
A total of 2,312 pedestrians were knocked down between January and November 2025, representing a 4.7 per cent increase from 2,208 in the same period in 2024, with May recording the highest number of pedestrian knockdowns at 265 cases.
The data showed that 296 persons (11 per cent) killed were below 18 years, while 2,377 (89 per cent) were adults, reflecting a 7:1 adult-to-child fatality ratio attributed to adults’ higher exposure to traffic risks.
Gender analysis revealed that 2,139 males (80 per cent) and 534 females (20 per cent) were killed, indicating that for every female fatality, four males lost their lives, a trend consistent with previous years.
Private vehicles accounted for 40 per cent of vehicles involved in crashes, followed by commercial vehicles (34 per cent) and motorcycles (26 per cent).
Comparatively, involvement of commercial vehicles, private vehicles and motorcycles increased by 4.8 per cent, 1.8 per cent, and 17.9 per cent respectively over 2024 figures.
The report indicated that motorbikes constituted 72 per cent of cycles involved in crashes, tricycles 25 per cent, bicycles two per cent, and handcarts one per cent.
Although motorcycles formed the least proportion of vehicles overall, their crash share was described as alarming given their population relative to the total vehicle fleet.
Regionally, the North East Region recorded the highest percentage increase in crashes (57.14 per cent), while the Northern Region recorded the highest decrease (30.16 per cent).
The Ashanti Region saw an 11.4 per cent increase in deaths (65 fatalities), the Eastern Region recorded a 33.1 per cent rise (146 deaths), and Greater Accra recorded a 2.3 per cent increase (eight deaths).
Despite Greater Accra recording more than double the number of crashes compared to the Eastern Region, fatalities were higher in the Eastern Region, which recorded 28 deaths per 100 crashes compared to 10 deaths in Greater Accra.
The report identified Ashanti, Eastern and Greater Accra Regions as the country’s critical regions for crashes, injuries and deaths (CIDs).
It urged the National Road Safety Authority, in collaboration with stakeholders, to intensify interventions to reverse the rising trend.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey