By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, April 27, GNA—On March 3, 2026, during a road safety sensitisation exercise at a transport terminal in Accra with officials of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), a simple question about speeding produced a response that was both amusing and deeply troubling.
“How do you know when you are speeding if your speedometer is not working?” One of the officials asked a commercial driver.
Without hesitation, the driver replied: “I use the air, and the wind tells me when I’m speeding.”
The group laughed. But beneath the laughter was a disturbing reality.
For many commercial drivers in Ghana, especially in trotros, taxis and long-distance buses, speed is not measured by a functioning dashboard but by instinct, road familiarity, engine sound, and sometimes—as that driver boldly admitted—the feel and whispers of the wind.
It is a dangerous normalisation of negligence that continues to threaten lives daily on Ghana’s roads.
A Silent but Common Danger
A quick ride in many public transport vehicles reveals a common problem: Faulty dashboards.
Broken speedometers, dead fuel gauges, weak brake indicators and malfunctioning warning lights are often treated as minor inconveniences rather than serious safety threats.
Passengers may notice the problem, but few complain. Drivers, on the other hand, often insist that experience is enough to take them to their destination.
Some say they have taken the same route for years and can “feel” the right speed. Others rely on engine sound, lightness of the vehicle or the movement of nearby vehicles.
But road safety experts insist that speed cannot be left to guesswork.
A vehicle moving at excessive speed reduces the driver’s reaction time, increases stopping distance and significantly worsens crash severity. In many cases, speed is the difference between a survivor and a fatality.
Speeding: A Major Killer
The Authority has consistently identified speeding, wrongful overtaking, drink-driving and driver fatigue as some of the major contributors to road crashes across the country.
Ahead of the Easter festivities, the NRSA intensified public education and enforcement exercises across major highways to reduce crashes during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The campaign, undertaken in collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, covered the country’s major routes on major highways, including Accra-Cape Coast, Accra-Suhum- Kumasi, Accra-Aflao, Akosombo-Ho, Aburi-Akropong, and Accra-Suhum-Bonso, targeting high-risk corridors before, during and after Easter.
At one of such engagements, Mr Gabriel Adu-Sarpong, Deputy Director of Research at the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), warned that speeding remained one of the leading causes of road crashes in Ghana.
He identified speeding, inattentiveness and loss of control as the top three contributors to road traffic crashes in Ghana.
Mr Adu-Sarpong said data from the Ghana Police Service indicated that about 90 per cent of road traffic crashes were due to human error, with speeding accounting for between 38 and 40 per cent.
He said speed-related factors contributed to nearly 60 per cent of crashes, implying that about six out of every 10 crashes were linked to speeding.
At another sensitisation exercise at the Kasoa Toll Booth, Mr Joshua Quist, Greater Accra Regional Director of the NRSA, said preliminary data indicated a worrying increase in deaths within the first month of the year, underscoring the urgent need for behavioural change among road users.
He said preliminary data showed a worrying increase in fatalities, with deaths rising significantly from 261 in January 2025 to 383 in January 2026, despite intensified education and enforcement efforts.
He noted that behavioural change among drivers was urgently needed.
Knowing the Limit
One of the major concerns is that many drivers either do not know the lawful speed limits or choose to ignore them.
Under Ghana’s road traffic regulations, speed limits are clearly defined depending on the type of road and environment.
In areas around schools, markets, churches, mosques and places with heavy human activity, the speed limit is 30 kilometres per hour.
Within built-up urban areas, the limit is generally 50 km/h.
On highways, drivers are expected to stay within 90 km/h, while on motorways, some vehicles may go up to 100 km/h depending on classification and road conditions.
Commercial trucks carrying heavy loads often have stricter operational limits.
The NRSA continues to caution drivers to stay within these limits because speed, once lost to poor judgment, is difficult to recover from in emergencies.
What the Law Says
The issue of faulty speedometers goes beyond poor maintenance. It is in the territory of legality.
The Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), gives clear powers to vehicle examiners, authorised inspectors and police officers to inspect vehicles suspected to be defective.
Section 101 states:
(1) Where upon the examination of a motor vehicle it appears to a vehicle examiner or an authorised inspector or police officer that owing to any defects in the motor vehicle it is, or is likely to become, unfit for service, that examiner or inspector may prohibit the driving of the motor vehicle on a road
(a) absolutely, or
(b) for one or more specified purposes.
(2) Where upon the examination it appears to a police officer that owing to any defects in the motor vehicle driving it would involve a danger or injury to any person, the police officer may prohibit the driving of the motor vehicle on any road
(a) absolutely, or
(b) for one or more specified purposes.
(3) A prohibition under this section shall come into force at a time not later than ten days from the date of the examination as seems appropriate to the vehicle examiner or authorised inspector or police officer imposing the prohibition, having regard to all circumstances, and a prohibition shall continue in force until it is removed under this Act.
(4) A person imposing a prohibition under this section shall give notice in writing of the prohibition to the person in charge of the motor vehicle at the time of the examination
(a) specifying the defects which occasioned the prohibition,
(b) stating the relevant prohibition, and
(c) stating whether the prohibition is to come into force immediately or at the end of a specified period.
(5) Where a notice is given under subsection (4), any vehicle examiner or police officer may grant an exemption in writing for the use of the motor vehicle in a manner, subject to conditions and for purposes as may be specified in the exemption.
This means that a commercial vehicle operating with critical dashboard failures, including a non-functional speedometer, may reasonably fall within concerns of roadworthiness if it affects safe driving.
The law further states that a person who refuses or neglects to comply with examination requirements commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 25 penalty units, imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months, or both.
In simple terms, “I use the wind” is not a defence recognised by law.
Why Drivers Ignore Repairs
The question then becomes: if the risk is obvious, why do drivers continue to operate defective vehicles?
The answers are often in the area of economics.
For many commercial drivers, every day off the road means lost income. Repairs cost money, and owners of vehicles sometimes prioritise daily sales over maintenance.
Drivers may report faults, but vehicle owners delay repairs.
Others simply accept defects as normal because enforcement is weak and roadside inspections are inconsistent.
At some transport terminals, station managers focus more on loading fees and departure schedules than on pre-departure checks.
The result is a transport culture where roadworthiness becomes negotiable.
Passengers as Silent Witnesses and Victims
Passengers are often the unseen victims in this cycle.
Many board vehicles without knowing whether the brakes are weak, the tyres are worn out, or the speedometer is dead.
They trust the driver, the station and the system.
Yet when crashes happen, it is passengers—workers, students, mothers, children—who often pay the highest price.
Road safety, therefore, cannot remain the responsibility of drivers alone.
Passengers have a duty to question unsafe practices and report dangerous behaviour to the Police.
Closing the Gap
The responsibility also lies with institutions.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the MTTD, transport unions and station managers must strengthen routine inspections and ensure that unfit vehicles are removed from the road.
Road safety campaigns should not be seasonal exercises reserved for festive periods. They must be continuous, visible and backed by enforcement. Drivers must stop normalising mechanical neglect.
Transport owners must understand that maintenance is not optional. And authorities must ensure that the law is not merely written, but applied.
Because road crashes are not always accidents. Many begin with ignored warnings. Sometimes, they begin with a broken speedometer. And sometimes, with a driver who believes the whisper of the wind is enough.
GNA
27 April 2026
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo, GNA
[email protected]
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong