2,380 persons have died between January and October 2021 due to road crashes.

This is according to provisional statistics released by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service.

The figure is a 14.48% increment from what was recorded within the same period in 2020.

The total number of road crashes recorded by the MTTD between January and October 2021, is 13,244 with the total number of vehicles involved pegged at 23, 488.

Of this figure, 8,746 were commercial cars with private cars accounting for 9,690.

5,052 of the vehicles involved in the accidents were motorcycles.

The crashes recorded are a 9.54% increment from last year’s record.

The four regions with the highest record of crashes are Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, and Tema regions in descending order.

Total number of people who lost their lives due to road crashes is 2,380 with 81.9% being males and the remaining 18.1% being females.

Motorcycles killed 1036, with commercial vehicles recording 804 deaths and private vehicles recording 540 deaths.

The total number of persons injured stands at 12,898.

Although Accra tops the chart with regard to the total number of crashes, the Ashanti region is leading in death toll with a record of 471 as well as injury toll with a record of 3037.

The total number of injured persons stands at 12,898 which is a 3.91% increment from last year’s record.

Pedestrians who were knocked down by vehicles over the period are 2421 out of which 671 of them died with Accra topping the chart with respect to the knockdowns.

US$160 million lost due to crashes
The National Road Safety Authority has bemoaned the fact that over US$ 160 million is lost to road crashes yearly.

Speaking at the launch of the Stay Alive campaign as part of efforts to reduce road crashes during the festive season, the Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority, Engineer May Obiri Yeboah called for a concerted effort in dealing with the menace.