The Accra Road Safety Report (2021) has been launched to help implement context-specific and evidence-based interventions to minimise road traffic crashes, deaths, and injuries in the metropolis.

The report said without the implementation of data-driven interventions, road traffic deaths and injuries were likely to increase, given the rise in motorisation in low- and middle-income countries.

“The burden of road traffic crashes poses a serious public health, social and economic problems at all levels of society, especially as the majority of those who perish are young people in their prime working to make a living to support their families,” it noted.

It was launched by Mrs Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive at the end of a three-day Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety Regional Meeting for Africa in Accra on Friday.

She said findings from the report show that the number of reported road traffic crashes in Accra rose from 1,774 in 2020 to 1,808 in 2021 – a two per cent increase, however, deaths declined from 136 in 2020 to 123 in 2021, a nine per cent decrease.

“Although our dear city has recorded a slight decrease in deaths, we cannot rest until our roads are safe for all users. This decrease must stir us up to double our efforts in our various interventions leaning against the confidence that we can achieve so much by putting in more effort,” Mrs Sackey stated.

She said speeding remained the main risk factor for severe road accidents globally and locally and that overall speeding has increased from 50 percent in 2021 to 51 percent in 2022.

“Motorcycles top the list of vehicles observed to be speeding over the posted limit. This could be attributed to high patronization of motorcycles for private and commercial purposes.”

The Chief Executive urged the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Directorate (MTTD) to pay particular attention to motor riders when carrying out speed enforcement to help reduce speeding among them.

She said: “I am elated to announce that the AMA during December last year launched a speeding mass media campaign christened the ‘Surgeon’. Our mass media campaigns have over the years relied heavily on data from these reports to choose the focus and target audience for this campaign.”

“The campaign which is still ongoing on TV, radio, social media, and outdoor advertisement is in collaboration with the National Road Safety Authority, the Police MTTD with technical support from Vital Strategies and it is aimed at sensitizing motorists against excess speeding..”

Mrs Sackey called on key road safety stakeholder institutions including the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the National Road Safety Authority, Department of Urban Roads, and the Police MTTD among others to use the report effectively to guide interventions being undertaken.

She commended the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety team for their technical support in helping the city to put the report together.

“I will work with all the confidence I can gather knowing that with this great team of experts, the BIGRS working with the city of Accra, our city can and will accomplish great things around road safety.

“I am proud to mention that this is the first AMA city-specific road safety report launched during my tenure of office. I am without doubt that this report will help provide ongoing monitoring of road crash outcomes in the city and to plan and monitor road safety intervention,” she stated.