Causes of road traffic accidents in Ghana and the way forward

Road traffic accident, a menace in Ghana, is defined with a well calculated amount of words by Wikipedia as traffic collision, also called a motor vehicle collision, car accident or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building.

In time past, “a journey of a thousand miles began with a step,” and by extension, continued with a step. But in our dispensation, a journey of a half mile begins with a step of course, but continues in a car. The introduction of cars and tarred roads has indisputably made life easier and more comfortable. Nevertheless, it has impounded the plight of mankind through rampant fatal accidents across the globe.

The basic idea behind the invention of automobiles was not to maim and claim innocent lives as it is seen today. However, just as it is with any manufactured product or machine, abuse of the rules regarding its safety use is the fundamental cause of the incessant carnage on our roads, particularly in Ghana. How? Well, that is what this article seeks to elucidate on by pointing out the causes and suggesting the way forward.

“Speeding kills” is a popular inscription and anti-road-traffic-accident campaign message that almost every road user is aware of and concords. Speeding is concomitant to overtaking, another defiant enemy to road safety. Speeding, as well as overtaking, is a vice characteristic of reckless, greedy, unscrupulous, and lazy drivers who throw all caution to the wind, insensitive about their own lives and that of the passengers on board.

Passengers add to it by shirking their responsibility to alert and caution their drivers on speeding and reckless driving. Passengers must know that they have every right to opt to alight at at any anywhere when the driver turns deaf ears to their plea to slow down.

As a driver, to get to a place earlier would mean setting off earlier so that speeding and reckless overtaking would not be the only resort to arriving on time! Remember to arrive alive! Adherence to the rules of the game is a handful of cute since speeding to shoot up sales is not a risk in the transport business, but an attempted murder! Lives are precious.

Secondly, in recent times, faulty vehicles, especially long vehicles, left in the middle of the road without being towed and without visible warning triangles, has made waves in the news when considering road traffic accidents. For this, among many other reasons the government proposed the towing levy which was looked upon with contempt by citizens.

By way of reform, instead of taxing every car owner with it, faulty vehicles could be towed by the state to designated areas where the car owners would have to come and pay before their cars would be released to them. DVLA and the road safety team could present a number where any concerned road user could call upon spotting a faulty vehicle on the road to be towed. This might save lives.

Another root cause of road accidents is poor roads in Ghana. In this article, poor roads encompass single roads in places suitable for dual carriage roads, kettles or potholes, lack of speed ramps, lack of working zebra crossings, inadequate traffic lights and footbridges, faded road markings, and poor road signs. It is a gross and appalling aberration to imagine that whole busy roads like Kumasi to Accra highway and Kumasi to Cape Coast highway are single roads, bordered on the sides by bushes and at some points deep pits. How unsavoury!

Furthermore , the role of the Motor Traffic and Transport Division(MTTD), the road safety team, the entire Ghana Police Service, and the DVLA cannot be overemphasised. The mandate of the MTTD and the road safety team to inspect drivers’ license and road worthiness of vehicles has a matter of fact been replaced with collection, offertory, donations, and bribery. The prerequisites and the processes to go through before obtaining a driver’s license would need to be rechecked and reinforced since some unskilled drivers drive with other people’s license.

“If you drink, don’t drive, if you drive don’t drink” is another lifesaving anti road traffic accident campaign message, which unfortunately some drivers seem not to take cautiously. Alcohol is a major substance responsible for most road accidents. However, there are many other drugs in the system which have effect on consciousness by inducing sleep or impairing sense of sight and judgment such as hypnotics and sedatives, some narcotic opioids like tramadol, and smoking. Drivers who attempt to rob themselves of sleep by abusing energy drinks are also responsible for the carnage on our roads. Drivers must understand that rest is medicinal.

Finally, lack of maintenance culture among most car owners is a terrible canker responsible for road accidents in Ghana. Most cars that ply our roads day in- day out are faulty such as faulty brakes, worn-out tyres, broken windscreen and driving mirrors. In order to make the road safety campaign achieve the intended goals, drivers must examine their cars before driving them on the highways.

If the above enunciated points are given a judicial notice by every road user, there is a firm optimism that road traffic accidents would be drastically brought under control.

Thank you.