Road accidents in ghana a major public concern news ghana. Road accidents and casualties that have occurred in the period of 2011 distributed by major cities in the country. What interventions are required to reduce road traffic. Road traffic accidents are responsible for a far higher rate of death among men, by an approximate ratio of 3. Identifying the effects of road and environmental characteristics on pedestrian hitandrun accidents in ghana is important for designing road safety policies and ensuring the successful implementation of road safety programs that will reduce pedestrian mortality due to hitandrun accidents. Nature and consequences of road traffic crashes in the upper west region for. World health organisation who and the world bank launched a decade of action for road safety in 2011 with the goal of halving the number of injuries and deaths on the roads. The major causes of road accidents in ghana are poor driving skills and indiscipline.
An assessment of traffic congestion and its effect on. Additional effects of traffic accidents can include emotional and mental distress as people can suffer from posttraumatic stress from being involved in the accident or from losing a loved one due to a. Aug 05, 2015 why should weve to make a awareness slogans. An investigation into the causes of accidents in the. Thus, about 15 of every 100 road traffic accidents during the period were fatal, whilst 62 out of every 100 rtas resulted in an injury. Curbing road accidents in ghana a long term solution. Traffic signal systems have been employed since the early twentieth century as a method of continuously managing. Apr 29, 2018 car crashes can be brought about by various components, including hardware glitch just as the activities of the driver, for example, speeding or forceful practices like closely following or dangerous path changes. Road accidents have great effect on any countrys economy especially, a developing country, like ghana. This huge health burden adds to other adverse transportrelated health effects, such as. Ghana records about 10,000 fatal road traffic accidents, every year, out of which 1,600 people perished while 15,000, are seriously injured, robbing the nation of. The figure of road accidents in the country sharply went up to 12, 164 in 2004 but decreased to 11, 305 in 2005. There are many factors that lead to innumerable causes of road accidents in ghana. Mean x and standard deviation sd of scores in responses on the economic effects of road traffic accidents sn economic effects no.
The causes of rtas among others include human or driver errors, vehicle charac. In ghana, vulnerable road users make up more than 70% of people killed in road traffic crashes annually, with over 40% of those fatalities being pedestrians and another 18% being cyclists and motorcycle riders. Economic effects of bad roads on vehicle maintenance in nigeria g. The main objective of this paper was to explore the most. Pdf analyzing the causes of road traffic accidents in. Of that figure, 42% were pedestrians, 23% were passengers in buses, and 12% were car occupants, while the remaining 23% consisted of riders national road safety commission, 2008. This perception of ghana 20002012 rta trend and impact, is again reenforced ina recent published paper 23. No progress has been reported in low and middle income countries lmics and the number of deaths remains very high. Aug 31, 2015 according to her, the level of negative impact caused by road traffic crashes was higher than that of crimes and hivaids annually. Kumasi was chosen for the research due to its strategic location as a transit point to the north, south, central and western parts of ghana, which makes it prone to traffic congestion. Pdf intelligent traffic control system richard ibeh. The study objective was to identify the variables that mainly contribute to accident severity in the northern region and to. Background every year, several thousand people are killed on polish roads and tens of thousands get injured. Click to read all about coronavirus a total of 2,076 people died in road traffic accidents in 2017.
The importance of the problem of rtas warrants immediate interventions to reduce road traffic crashes in the districts. Of course, there is the obvious damage to property, which may include your vehicle, another vehicle, physical property, a bicyclist, p. Jun 12, 2015 this has become a very big problem for the nation as her citizens continue to perish. Road traffic crashes are responsible for an average of 2000 deaths per year. Human factors as causes for road traffic accidents in the. According to her, the level of negative impact caused by road traffic crashes was higher than that of crimes and hivaids annually.
These various forms of road traffic accidents affect individuals and societies all over the world coleman, 2014. She was speaking at the launch of the 5 th edition of the national road safety awards. Many of the aforementioned studies emphasized the effects of the factors on values of properties generally with little consideration given to road network pattern and its effects on values of commercial properties. No progress has been reported in low and middle income countries lmics and the number of. Trends in road accidents and casualties eastern region 1991 2011 csv details of road accidents including injuries, persons killed etc in the. The most common, permanently occurring causes of road accidents include failure to comply with the rules of the road traffic, low driving skills combined with a.
Road traffic injuries place a heavy burden on global and national economies and household finances. What are the causes and effects of a road accident. For example, in ireland it is one of the biggest factors that contribute to road deaths. Road accidents and casualties in ghana ghana open data. The effects of lane and shoulder width on speed differ between rural and urban environments. One of the major causes of road accidents in ghana is driving under the influence of substance use. Recently, accident on our roads have been claiming many lives. Road transport accident have been identified to be the second cause of death in the country. The nature of our roads and bad conditions of vehicles are contributing factors that bring about road accidents. In africa, the number of road traffic injuries and deaths have been increasing over the last three decades. Statistics show that about 30% of accidents on the roads are.
An 18month study conducted by the pacific institute for research and evaluation examined information from the national highway traffic safety administration, federal motor carrier safety administration and other government agencies and concluded that road. Exploring the major causes of road traffic accidents in. In that vein, the carnage on ghana s roads has raised road accidents to the status. Road traffic fatality, serious injuries, minor injuries, persons killed and persons injured also recorded 18%, 38%, 26%, 2. Causes and effects of traffic accidents it still runs. The increase in per capita income and lowpriced in gasoline have resulted in vehicles easily acquired by individuals in tripoli, libya. Jan 10, 2018 click to read all about coronavirus a total of 2,076 people died in road traffic accidents in 2017.
I want to talk about the causes of these accidents and suggest how they can be prevented or minimized. Ghana records about 2,000 fatalities in road accidents annually as six lives are lost daily through those accidents. Considering the magnitude of the effects, there is the need for concerted, multisectorial effort to combat the menace of road traffic accidents. Ghana, road traffic accident rta, fatalities, public health, safety 1. An analysis of the incidence and causes of road traffic.
Some of the factors are medical expenses, loss of job, property damage and loss of productive hours. First accident in world on august 17th 1896 bridget driscoll was knocked down and killed by a car in london today, great britain has one of. Jun 17, 20 the importance of the problem of rtas warrants immediate interventions to reduce road traffic crashes in the districts. Economic effects of bad roads on vehicle maintenance in. As a result authorities in virtually all countries of the world are now concerned about the growth in the number of people killed and injured on their roads including ghana. The study adopted survey strategy on five major road links in the metropolis. Vehicles in traffic accidents are damaged and may be in need of minor or costly repairs or may even be completed totaled and no longer drivable. The effect of road and environmental characteristics on. Although a number of road safety practices are in effect, many such as national drinkdriving laws are not well enforced in ghana. In that vein, the carnage on ghanas roads has raised road accidents to the status. The highest incidence of road traffic accidents was in the month of november, followed by the month of december. Mervis patience muvuringi zimbabwe 48th international course in health development september 19, 2011 september 7, 2012. Each year an estimated 127 thousand people are killed about 10% of global road traffic deaths and about 2.
This was the chilling story as told by the chairman of the. In 2011, the national road safety commission reported that road accidents, caused ghana 145 million dollars, representing one point four per cent of the nations gross domestic product. The most talked about and serious cause of accidents nowadays in ghana is the use of cell phone while driving. Article pdf available in open journal of preventive medicine 411. Road traffic injuries in the 52 countries of the who european region represent a major public health problem. Road accidents cannot be stopped despite providing the best possible roads and intersections, however there are ways to reduce the impact of road accidents on. Excessive and inappropriate speed causes more than 40% of deadly collisions.
Some of the indicators contributing to most rtas in ghana include indiscipline. Apr 01, 2019 road traffic accidents claim the largest loss of human life and tend to be the most serious problem all over the world anh and dao, 2005, in gebru, 2017. This paper presents results of a research that concentrated on investigating causes of accidents on construction projects in uganda. Abstract in nigerian, most roads are in bad shapes leading to negative economic effects. From the study, it can be concluded that the ranked causes of traffic congestion in the accra central market are the bad attitude of traders, narrow roads, bad attitude of drivers, poor road design, bad attitude of pedestrians and accidents. Ali department of mechanical engineering technology, federal polytechnic ede, osun state. Identifying the effects of road and environmental characteristics on pedestrian hitandrun accidents in ghana is important for designing road safety policies and ensuring the successful implementation of road safety programs that will reduce pedestrian mortality due to. Slogans of road safety hug your kids at home, but belt them in the car. Few have really addressed the effects of a road accident. These causes lead to injuries and can sometimes be fatal.
Road accidents cannot be stopped despite providing the best possible roads and intersections, however there are ways to reduce the impact of road accidents on road users and the vehicles plying on. This clearly shows that there is an increase in the magnitude of rta incidence in ghana for the past 10 years. The effects of traffic congestion are timeconsuming, pollution and stress, decreased productivity. Who the burden of road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths. Disaster management road accidents linkedin slideshare. Introduction road traffic accidents rtas affect populations all over the world. Road traffic accidents are the major cause of mortality among people aged 1529 years in africa.
Mervis patience muvuringi zimbabwe 48th international course in health development september 19, 2011 september 7, 2012 kit royal tropical institute development policy and practice vrije universiteit amsterdam. Poorlymaintained roads cause half of the fatal auto accidents that happen each year in the united states. Economic effects of bad roads on vehicle maintenance in nigeria. Road traffic accidents of varying degrees that have occurred in ghana both in the past and present have resulted in several road fatalities.
In poland, road accidents are the first cause of death in case of men up to 44 years of age. Identification of factors that cause severity of road. The incidence of deaths and injury as a result of road accidents is now a global phenomenon. The head of the ghana national road safety commission in analysing national rta trend in ghana fr, om 20002012 at a public forum, is quoted as saying rta fatalities in ghana is worse compared to death from dis eases in that period 22. These has led to the loss of lives, property, broken homes, and as well as leaving behind shattered families and communities, among others despite the indispensable role the road transport sector plays in the economy. They are the leading cause of injury, the eighth leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 29 years of age. Arguably, road traffic accidents and the accompanying deaths and permanent disabilities have become a growing public health problem worldwide especially in countries like ghana, where they are claiming more lives than the combined effects of the socalled killer diseases. Interestingly, driving speed did not correlate with the number of carriageways.
Comparative model analysis of road traffic accidents in ghana. The annual road traffic fatality rate for these countries now stand at 20. The increase in urbanisation and traffic congestion creates an urgent need to operate our transportation systems with maximum efficiency. Studies show that the risk of dying as a result of a road. The greater accra region tops with about 53 per cent of accidents in the.
Nature and consequences of road traffic crashes in. Saturday stood out as the day during which most road traffic accidents occurred. A public health concern, and a call for action in ghana, and the subregion. Accident mainly occurs only due to the drivers to the person who drivers the vehicle 4. Possible relationships between road networks, location attribute, demand and supply, and accessibility and. The construction industry in uganda and other developing countries faces a wide range of challenges, one of which is the frequent occurrence of accidents in the work areas. Reduce substance use and road accidents among commercial.
This is eight people less than the 2,084 people killed in 2016. Managing traffic congestion in the accra central market, ghana. The increases in vehicles ownership and traffic congestion have caused traffic accidents, fatalities and injuries. Car crashes can be brought about by various components, including hardware glitch just as the activities of the driver, for example, speeding or forceful practices like closely following or dangerous path changes. Ghana records 2,000 road fatalities annually graphic online. Feb 24, 2018 ghana records about 2,000 fatalities in road accidents annually as six lives are lost daily through those accidents. This has become a very big problem for the nation as her citizens continue to perish. One of the factors affecting vehicle maintenance is bad road network in nigeria. Motorists who go beyond or below the prescribed speed limits on road could hit other vehicles and they could be hit as well. Effects of bad road conditions on traffic accidents.