By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog, GNA
Bolgatanga, March 5, GNA – The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has engaged transport union leaders, enforcement agencies and emergency responders in the Upper East Region aimed at strengthening defensive driving practices and reducing road traffic crashes.
The engagement, held in Bolgatanga, brought together stakeholders including the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), the Ghana Highway Authority, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the National Ambulance Service among others to deliberate on practical measures to improve road safety in 2026.
Mr Eric Anokye Fordjour, Acting Regional Head of the NRSA, said the meeting was backed by Article 3 (1a) of the Road Safety Act 993, which mandates the Authority to collaborate with the DVLA, road agencies, enforcement bodies, crash emergency response institutions and transport service providers to reduce road crashes, injuries and deaths.
He described road transport as indispensable to national development, noting that it remained a major source of employment and the primary means by which people and goods moved across the country.
“Without it, the economy will surely come to a standstill. However, despite its contribution to economic growth and development, it is also a means through which the country loses lots of human capital,” he said.
Mr Fordjour indicated that although 2025 recorded an overall reduction in crashes in the region compared to 2024, the casualty figures remained worrying.
Statistics presented showed that from January to December 2025, 96 road traffic crashes involving 164 vehicles were recorded in the region, resulting in 195 casualties, 64 deaths and 131 injuries.
This represented a 24.41 per cent decrease in reported cases, 29.19 per cent drop in injuries and 5.88 per cent reduction in deaths compared to 2024.
Motorcycles accounted for the highest proportion of deaths, recording 50 fatalities, while commercial and private vehicles recorded seven deaths each.
In all, 110 motorcycles, 32 private vehicles and 22 commercial vehicles were involved in crashes during the period under review.
The month of March recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 14 deaths representing 21.88 per cent of the total.
Mr Fordjour said most crashes were attributed to overspeeding and reckless driving or riding, citing data from the MTTD.
He urged operational managers of transport unions to ensure regular vehicle maintenance, enforce discipline among drivers, discourage the use of unapproved light, avoid placing luggage at emergency exits and cooperate with NRSA officials during inspections at terminals.
Inspector Leo Tagborlo, Lead Accident Investigator at the Regional MTTD, decried political interference in road traffic enforcement, noting that some offenders resisted arrest and called on influential persons who intervened.
This, he said, undermined the work of officers and emboldening lawbreakers, including drunk drivers and tipper truck operators who failed to properly cover their loads.
Mr Shamsu Deen, the Regional Maintenance Manager of the Ghana Highway Authority, highlighted infrastructural and budgetary constraints affecting road maintenance and cautioned against the indiscriminate construction of speed humps without proper engineering design.
Mr Azudaa R. Atandigre, Regional Director of the National Ambulance Service, said the Service had responded to 42 road traffic crashes within the first two months of the year, stressing that casualties should not be seen as mere statistics but as human lives, and underscoring the critical importance of the “golden hour” in saving victims.
Mr Andrews Tetteh, a transport operator with Metro Mass Transit, called for strict enforcement against the construction of unauthorised speed ramps and urged the relevant authorities to prioritise regular road maintenance to help prevent accidents.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /Kenneth Odeng Adade