Accra, April 7, – Road fatalities in Ghana have surged sharply in 2026 despite intensified nationwide safety education and enforcement efforts, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has said.
Mr Joshua Quist, Greater Accra Regional Director of the Authority, described the trend as alarming, noting that preliminary data from January alone pointed to a significant rise in deaths, highlighting the urgent need for a shift in road user behaviour.
“The numbers are increasing, and we need to do something about it,” he said during a sensitisation exercise at the Kasoa Toll Booth to mark the end of a six-day Visibility Programme undertaken by the NRSA in collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service.
The nationwide campaign, which ran from March 30 to April 7, covered major highways including the Shai Hills, Aburi-Mampong-Mamfe, and Accra-Suhum-Kumasi corridors, targeting high-risk routes before, during and after the Easter festivities.
It focused on educating commercial drivers, private motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians on compliance with traffic regulations, including speed limits, seatbelt use, helmet use, and the dangers of distracted and impaired driving.
Mr Quist revealed that road crash fatalities rose from 261 in January 2025 to 383 in January 2026, marking a sharp increase. In the Greater Accra Region, deaths more than doubled from 21 to 50 within the same period.
He expressed concern that unsafe road user behaviour remained widespread despite sustained public education in schools, religious centres, transport terminals and across media platforms.
“We have done a lot of education everywhere, but the attitude of drivers is not changing,” he said.
Mr Quist attributed the rising fatalities largely to human factors, including speeding, wrongful overtaking, overloading, drunk driving, drug abuse, and fatigue. He stressed that excessive speed and dangerous overtaking continued to rank among the leading causes of crashes, while overloading made vehicles harder to control and increased the severity of injuries.
He also raised alarm over the use of alcohol and drugs, including tramadol and other substances, which impair judgment and reduce concentration.
“When you take alcohol or drugs and drive, it affects your thinking and decision-making, and that can lead to crashes,” he said.
Fatigue driving, particularly among long-distance drivers, was another critical concern. Mr Quist noted that some drivers travelled for up to 13 hours without rest, contrary to recommended safety standards.
“After about eight hours of driving, you are required to stop and rest or change drivers,” he emphasised.
As part of enforcement measures, officials removed unapproved auxiliary lights from vehicles, explaining that such lights could blind oncoming drivers and increase the risk of night-time crashes.
“Some vehicles have six or seven additional lights. When they are switched on, they blind other road users, making it difficult to see clearly. This is dangerous,” he said.
Mr Quist reiterated that road safety was a shared responsibility and urged all road users to respect traffic regulations and one another.
“We are all road users—drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists. At one point, you may even park your car and become a pedestrian. So, we must respect each other on the road,” he said.
He said the NRSA would continue to intensify education and enforcement beyond the Easter period through in-traffic inspections, community outreach and media engagements, while engaging influential figures as road safety ambassadors to drive behavioural change.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Stella Ewool of the MTTD, Weija Division, urged drivers to strictly adhere to speed limits and avoid drunk and fatigued driving.
“Don’t speed because speed kills. Avoid using mobile phones while driving, and ensure you are alert at all times,” she cautioned.
She also called on passengers to play an active role in promoting road safety by ensuring drivers complied with regulations and reporting offenders to the nearest police station.
“Most drivers know what to do, but they choose not to do it. This exercise is to remind them of their responsibilities,” she added.
GHBUSS
April 7, 2026
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