Alarming surge in road crash fatalities: 186 people killed in July 2023

A recent report from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) has shown an increase in road fatalities for July 2023.

According to the report, the death toll from road crashes in July 2023 surged by an alarming 30.07%, claiming the lives of 186 individuals, whereas 143 persons lost their lives in July 2022.

Of the individuals who lost their lives, 149 were males, constituting 80% of the fatalities, while 37 were females, representing the remaining 20%.

Additionally, the report revealed that 1,328 persons were injured, with 213 pedestrians being knocked down in road incidents.

The study recorded a total of 1,233 road crashes in July 2023, involving 2,099 vehicles.

Among these, 742 were commercial vehicles, 917 were private vehicles, and 440 were motorcycles.

A closer look at the types of vehicles involved in the crashes in July 2023 indicates that motorbikes accounted for 74% of all cycle-related crashes, with 325 instances.

Tricycles contributed 21% with 93 cases, followed by bicycles and handcarts at 4% and 1% respectively.

Comparing July 2023 to the same period in 2022, the report highlighted a concerning 4.31% increase in reported cases.

Private vehicles constituted the largest proportion of vehicles involved in crashes in July 2023, at 43.69%. Commercial vehicles followed closely with 35.35%, while motorcycles accounted for the smallest proportion at 20.96%.

Although private vehicles showed a decrease in crash involvement in 2023 compared to 2022, commercial vehicles and motorcycles experienced an increase of 17.59% and 2.09% respectively.

Interestingly, the report noted a 4.91% decrease in pedestrian knock-down incidents in July 2023 compared to July 2022.

Furthermore, the number of individuals injured in road crashes during July 2023 increased by 8.76% compared to the same period in the previous year.

In terms of regional distribution, the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Eastern regions emerged as the top three areas with the highest number of crashes in July 2023.

Greater Accra witnessed 469 crashes, followed by Ashanti Region with 299 crashes, and Eastern Region with 139 crashes.

In contrast, the North East, Oti, and Savanna regions reported the lowest crash numbers, recording just three, two, and one crashes respectively.