Deaths caused by road traffic accidents in the Kumasi metropolitan area are gradually reducing following an intervention by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
The metropolitan area recorded 134 road accident deaths in 2022 as against the 160 recorded in 2021.
This represented a 16 percent reduction in deaths caused by road accidents in the metropolis.
However, the number of road crashes recorded increased from 1,255 in 2021 to 1,550 in 2022.
Mr Kingsley Wirekoh, Road Injury Surveillance Coordinator, at the Kumasi Metropolitan (KMA) – BIGRS desk, sharing these findings at a stakeholders’ meeting in Kumasi, said the highest number of deaths were recorded among people between the ages of 20 and 29.
He said accidents involving pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists were high, with more males perishing than females.
Pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists accounted for 84 percent of the reported fatalities in 2022, with 78 percent males dying and 67 percent sustaining serious injuries.
The presentation of these key findings attracted stakeholders from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Management of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), and Kumasi Metropolitan Ass.
Geo-location data and high-risk fatal crash locations were concentrated along high roads such as Anloga Junction, Boadi Junction, Asuoyeboah Traffic Intersection, Sofoline Station, and Amakom Traffic Intersection, he added.
Mr. Wirekoh explained that the Road Safety Report, the Third Edition for Kumasi, sourced main data from the police to help provide ongoing reports and monitor effectively road crashes, draw plans to reduce deaths and crashes by implementing evidence-based interventions and outcomes in the city.
Mr. Samuel Pyne, Metropolitan Chief Executive, KMA, expressed worry about the fatalities on the streets of Kumasi.
“For how long will our highways remain death traps for innocent travelers; for how long will our inner city roads kill and maim innocent pedestrians and road users,” he quizzed.
He called for proactive measures from all stakeholders, including road users, to drastically reduce road accidents in Kumasi.
Ashantibiz
