Road Crashes: 8 Ghanaian Lives Lost Daily; CUTS Int’l Calls for Public Health Emergency Declaration
West Africa Regional Director for CUTS International, Appiah Kusi Adomako, is urging President John Dramani Mahama to declare Ghana’s alarming road crash situation a public health emergency following the rising number of fatalities recorded in the first half of 2025.
According to Mr Adomako, the declaration will allow the state to dedicate more resources to addressing road traffic crashes, which continue to claim lives at a rate comparable to past national crises.
“Every day, Ghana loses an average of eight lives to road crashes. Between January and June this year alone, 1,502 people have died from such incidents,” he stated.
“This figure slightly exceeds the 1,426 total deaths Ghana recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference on the theme The Role of Media Advocacy on Road Safety, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Mr Adomako outlined several policy recommendations aimed at reversing the trend.
These include the urgent regulation of motorcycle usage, which he said is a major contributor to the rising numbers, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.
He further called for intensified enforcement in regions with high crash incidents, a revamp of driver education campaigns through targeted community engagement, and increased funding and empowerment of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to enhance road safety enforcement nationwide.
Data from the NRSA highlights worrying trends:
- Over 1,502 deaths recorded from January to June 2025 alone
- 8 out of 10 fatalities are male victims
- The last four months have been the most deadly period on Ghana’s roads
- Pedestrians account for 33% of deaths recorded from 2018 to 2022
- 65% of deaths involve individuals aged 18 to 45
From January to June 2025, the country has recorded:
- 7,269 road crashes
- 12,354 vehicles involved
- 8,364 injuries
- 1,502 fatalities with 78% male and 22% female victims
The National Road Safety Authority attributes over 90% of road crashes to human behaviour, listing causes such as driver inexperience, inattentiveness, excessive speeding, fatigue, and improper overtaking.
Concluding his remarks, Mr Adomako reiterated that a comprehensive response anchored on education, improved infrastructure, and strict regulatory compliance is required to curb the road crash menace and save lives.
The NRSA estimates that road crashes cost Ghana about 1.6% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually, underscoring the urgent need for decisive action.
