Road accidents: 696 die in 2019 first quarter

The number of road users killed in the first quarter of 2019 has recorded a 17.57% increase over figures for the first quarter of 2018.

Commuters and pedestrians killed increased from 592 in the first quarter of 2018 to 696 in the same period of 2019.

The number of males killed amounted to 506, comprising 62 males below 18 years and 444 males above 18 years.

Similarly, the number of females killed was 190, made up of 55 females below 18 years and 135 above 18 years.

The regional breakdown of deaths is Accra – 69, Tema – 38, Eastern – 108, Central – 45, Western – 38, Ashanti – 113, Volta – 34, Northern – 59, Upper West – 19, Upper East – 28, and Bono Ahafo – 145.

There were no figures for Oti, Western North, Savannah, Bono East, Ahafo and North East, the newly created regions.

207 Pedestrians killed

Data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service shows that the number of pedestrians killed rose from 198 in the first quarter of last year to 207 during the same period this year.

However, the number of pedestrian knockdowns recorded a 1.01% drop from 792 in the first quarter of 2018 to 784 in the same period this year.

The number of motorcycles involved in road traffic accidents witnessed a 11.82% jump from 956 in the first quarter of 2018 to 1,069 during the same period in 2019.

Motorcycle accidents killed 169 and injured 718 commuters in the first quarter of 2019.

A total of 2,387 private vehicles were involved in accidents in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 7.81% compared to the involvement of 2,214 private vehicles in the first quarter of last year.

Accidents involving private vehicles killed 201 commuters in the first quarter of this year while injuring 841.

The number of commercial vehicles involved in accidents recorded a 3.40% decline from 2,175 in 2018 to 2,101 in the first quarter of this year.

Commercial vehicles involved in accidents killed 326 people and injured 1,980 in the first quarter of 2019.

The total number of accident cases reported in the first quarter of 2019 witnessed an increase of 6.95% from 3,193 in 2018 to 3,415 this year.

The total number of vehicles involved in accidents in the first quarter rose from 5,345 in 2018 to 5,557 in 2019, representing a 3.97% increase.