A report from the Kumasi Metropolitan Traffic Management Unit has revealed that vulnerable road users, pedestrians, cyclists and motor riders accounted for 76% of all road traffic deaths recorded in 2021 in Kumasi.
Mr. Akuamoah Boateng, Kumasi Metropolitan Coordinating Director, speaking at the launch of the KMA Road Safety Report, stated that pedestrians alone accounted for 60% of the reported deaths.
Stakeholders, including the KMA, BIGRS, the Police Service Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Fire Service, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ambulance Service participated in the launching ceremony.
The new data is contained in the second Kumasi Road Safety Report, which was developed by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in collaboration with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
According to him, the Global public health organisation, Vital Strategies, provided technical support for the creation of the report, which includes data from police crash records.
Mr. Akuamoah Boateng said the report outlined that deaths among pedestrians were mostly caused by cars or pickups (40%), and that buses/minibuses were also the cause of vehicles in 27% of pedestrian deaths in 2021.
He stated that findings from the report showed a consistent increase in the overall number of reported road traffic deaths in Kumasi from 2017 to 2021, with an indication that the number of reported deaths in 2021 increase by 3% over the previous year.
He underscored that the report also outlined that males accounted for seven out of 10 reported deaths and injuries in 2021, while the highest population of deaths was recorded among people aged 30 to 39 years, with the frequently reported injured said to be among those aged 20 to 29 years.
According to him, Anloga junction, Boadi junction, Amakom traffic intersection, Krofrom traffic intersection and Abrepo junction emerged as high-risk points for fatal and serious injury crashes, while the Accra-Kumasi road, PV Obeng Bypass, Sunyani Road, Osei Tutu Boulevard and West End Hospital Bypass emerged as high-risk corridors for fatal crashes.
The Mayor indicated that 19% of the reported deaths occurred because of crashes between 6pm and 8pm in 2021, while 45% of deaths occurred because of crashes on weekends in 2021; 33% of vehicles were observed speeding over the posted limit in 2021; 44% deaths of motorcycle drivers and 6% of passengers correctly wore helmets in 2020.
He stated that the City level efforts would complement national road safety efforts to save lives, and expressed the hope that the strategic actions taken by the KMA to reduce road deaths and injuries would encourage other stakeholders at the local and national levels to prioritise road safety.
The KMA has thus assured the general public that with support from BIGRS it would demonstrate its commitment towards road safety with the launch of its second Road Safety Report, and that the data from the report would inform interventions in the area of road engineering, police risk factor enforcement, and focus of mass media and mini campaigns.
Dr. Raphael Awuah, Regional Technical Advisor, Africa; Road Injury Surveillance, Vital Strategies, noted that more fatal crashes occurred during high risk times on weekends in Kumasi, from 6pm to 8pm, hence the need to re-enforce safety laws and ensure visibility towards reduction of high-risk.
