By Kweku Bolton
The heart-wrenching, traumatic, agonising, and excruciatingly painful experience these victims of road accidents have had can be seen at first sight.
Meet Adams Zakari, a 42-year-old electronic technician with four children. An Accident nearly took his life, but grace saved him. Zakari opens up about his difficulties years after the accident. As a hit-and-run victim, Zakari’s spinal cord, waist, and legs had been badly affected. He needs about 70 thousand pounds for surgery. He spends about GHC800 each week on medication and lives on the benevolence of people.
In 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that about 1.3 million people were killed on the road and 20 to 50 million were injured globally. The report added that almost half of these people fall into the “vulnerable road users” category. These are pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Apart from the loss of lives, road accidents eat deep into the pockets of countries, including Ghana. Estimates from the Ghana Health Service indicate that 230 million dollars are spent annually on treating road accident victims. According to the Motto Traffic Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, road accidents claim more lives than diseases.
For instance, in 2019, over 2,284 people perished in road crashes, a significant increase from 2018 which recorded 2,020 deaths. Similarly, in 2020, 20,408 people were involved in road accidents, with 2,080 fatalities and 12,380 juries. In 2021, 27,616 vehicles were involved in road accidents, with 16,182 crashes, 15,935 injuries, and 2,970 deaths. Likewise, in 2022, 25,754 vehicles were involved in road accidents, with 14,960 crashes, 15,690 injuries, and 2,373 deaths.
Apart from the bad road network and climatic conditions, other causes of road accidents on some of the roads have been linked to the negligence of drivers, and mechanical errors, including faulty traffic lights, contribute to road accidents.
Also, faulty street lights, gaping potholes, and poor road markings and signs are blamed for road accidents. But the question is, whose duty is it to ensure that these traffic and street lights are functioning properly? In recent years, about 39% of all accidents took place during insufficient road lighting conditions. Unlit roads pose danger to motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists, including a threat to security.
Engineer Joseph Astu, Director, Road Safety and Environment of the Ghana Highway Authority, said it is their responsibility to fix potholes and provide street lights for traffic on their roads.
Mr. John Asante-Arhin, Manager, Driver Training Testing and Licensing, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), indicated that drivers must adhere to road safety regulations.
On 21st August, 2015, some journalists were involved in an accident while returning from a presidential assignment in the Volta regional capital of Ho. A Ghanaian Times reporter, Samuel Nuamah, lost his life. The rest of the crew sustained various degrees of injuries.
The showbiz industry also recorded similar incidents, with celebrities including Terry Bonchakah, Ebony, Suzzy Williams, and Kwame Owusu Ansah, among others, meeting their untimely deaths. Some members of the judiciary and security personnel also suffered a similar fate. Lawyer Atoampomah Kodua, Head of Regulation, Inspections, and Compliance, National Road Safety, tasked emergency services to act swiftly whenever an accident occurs.
The Road Safety Act 2012 is against drunk driving, but some drivers do otherwise, as seen in this secret recording. One of the major contributing factors to road accidents is overloading, and drivers of these vehicles often flout road safety regulations.
The Head Tobacco and Substance Abuse Directorate at the Food and Drugs Authority, Dr. Olivia Boateng, who is also the focal person for the W.H.O., said her office has realised that many public transport drivers take dangerous drugs before driving, which causes accidents.
With a hidden camera, we found out that some drivers and mechanics mix brake fluid with water, while others too use cooking oil when repairing vehicles. However, this practice is frowned upon by international standards.
A vehicle manufacturer’s document shows that vehicles are equipped with four brakes to provide utmost safety on the roads, but our checks showed most drivers of commercial vehicles have disconnected two of these brakes, posing danger on the roads.
Auto mechanics say each vehicle has a prescribed engine oil for use by the manufacturer. Engine oil grades are in the form of an alpha-numeric code and are used for specific driving conditions. Mr. Joseph Kudadze, Senior Lecturer, Auto Mechanical Engineer, said it is dangerous to mix brake fluid with water. Engineer Felex Amoo- Tenkorang, Lecturer, Automobile Engineer Department of Accra Technical University, also said such practice can course serious accidents on our roads.
Vision is crucial to driving, as much as 90 percent of the information you need while driving is gathered through your eyes. Poor eyesight is a major risk factor for road traffic injuries.
Smoke from vehicle exhaust pipes is considered air pollution, while vehicle engineers say it has a negative impact on human health and the environment.
In a bid to ensure that road accidents are minimised, it is important for both the government and other stakeholders involved in the transport sector to take a critical look at all the causative factors of accidents on our roads.
Mr. Joseph Kudadze, Senior Lecturer, Mechanical Engineer Department of Accra Technical University, called on the police to ensure road users obey road safety regulations.
The Motor Third Party Act 1958 stipulates that all vehicles must be covered for unlimited bodily injury and death compensation to third parties, such as fare-paying passengers and pedestrians. It was revealed that many victims do not benefit from car insurance.
Many breadwinners have perished, while others have been maimed through road accidents, with their dependents struggling to survive. Road accidents occur almost every week, and road safety advocates say it’s time to ensure that traffic regulations are enforced to reduce the menace.