avoid › documents › ama_road_safety_report... · 2019-10-03 · road safety report, 2016 - 2018...

Avoid

Speeding!

50

Accra Metropolitan Assembly

Road Safety Report, 2016 - 2018

In collaboration with

Hospital data supported by

Observational risk behaviour data supported by

Building and Road Research Institute

Accra Metropolitan Assembly

Road Safety Report, 2016-2018

Preface ...................................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 4

Executive summary .................................................................................................. 5

List of abbreviations ................................................................................................ 7

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 8

Purpose of report ..................................................................................................... 9

Data sources and systems .................................................................................... 10

Definitions ............................................................................................................... 11

About Accra ............................................................................................................ 11

Total number of crashes, injuries and deaths ..................................................... 13

Deaths and injuries by road user type ................................................................. 14

Deaths and injuries by sex .................................................................................... 15

Deaths and injuries by age .................................................................................... 16

Crashes and deaths by time of day ...................................................................... 17

Crashes and deaths by day of week ..................................................................... 18

Crashes by day of week and time of day ............................................................. 19

Crashes, deaths and serious injuries by month .................................................. 20

Crashes, deaths and injuries involving commercial public vehicles ............... 21

Crashes associated with suspected alcohol use ................................................ 21

Crashes and deaths on major highways .............................................................. 22

Crash maps ............................................................................................................. 23

Table of Contents

Section 1

Accra Metropolitan Assembly Road Safety Report, 2016-2018

1

Sex distribution of road traffic casualties ............................................................ 27

Age distribution of road traffic casualties ........................................................... 27

Injuries and deaths by month ............................................................................... 28

Injuries and deaths by road user type .................................................................. 29

Background ............................................................................................................ 30

Methodology ........................................................................................................... 30

Ethical approval ..................................................................................................... 31

Data analysis .......................................................................................................... 31

Results .................................................................................................................... 32

Discussion .............................................................................................................. 34

Limitations .............................................................................................................. 34

Conclusion and recommendations ....................................................................... 34

Drink driving ........................................................................................................... 35

Speeding ................................................................................................................. 36

Seatbelts and child restraints ............................................................................... 37

Helmet use .............................................................................................................. 38

References .............................................................................................................. 45

Section 2 Retrospective assessment of road traffic deaths and serious

injuries in two referral hospitals in Accra, 2017………………….26

Section 3 Linkage of police crash reports and retrospective data from two

referral hospitals in Accra, 2017…………………………….….…..30

Section 4 Monitoring of behavioural risk factors for road injuries in Accra,

2015-2019………………..………………………………………….…...35

Section 5 Implemented actions on road safety in Accra, 2016-2018…......39


2

Since 2015, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in partnership with the

Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) has increased

efforts to improve road safety in the city. These include acquisition of data to inform

interventions, redesign of intersections, continuous enforcement and mini road safety

campaigns.

The use of data is critical in addressing the burden of road deaths and injuries in Accra.

This updated report, which presents information on road crashes in Accra from 2016

to 2018, will further inform ongoing efforts to reduce deaths and injuries in the city.

The key messages from the report should inform actions by stakeholders in road

safety to develop appropriate interventions. I believe the efforts at the city-level will

complement national efforts to improve road safety. I hope that the measures put in

place by AMA to reduce road deaths and injuries will spur other Municipal and

Metropolitan Assemblies on to take actions to do same.

I would like to thank the BIGRS team in Accra, Bloomberg Philanthropies and all local

and external partners for their continuous support to ensure that Accra’s roads are

safe for all road users.


Preface: Mayor of Accra

Mayor of Accra

3

Acknowledgements

This updated road safety report for Accra was developed under the BIGRS. Since 2015, BIGRS

has supported the AMA in the implementation of evidence-based road safety interventions to

reduce injuries and deaths due to road crashes.

Vital Strategies is responsible for the overall coordination of the BIGRS, technical support for

surveillance system strengthening, and media and communication. Technical assistance is also

provided by Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU), World Resources Institute

(EMBARQ), National Association of City Transportation Officials - Global Designing Cities Initiative

(NACTO-GDCI), the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility, the International Road Assessment

Programme (iRAP), and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP).

A number of local and external partners contributed to aspects of this report. Crash data was

supported by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service

and the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI). Retrospective data on road crash victims

was supported by the Accident Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and the Accident and

Emergency Department, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital). Data on vehicle and

population figures were provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and Ghana

Statistical Service (GSS), respectively. JH-IIRU and BRRI collected data on the four risk factors

presented in the report.

Raphael Awuah, the BIGRS Surveillance Coordinator in Accra, coordinated data collection at the

police stations and referral hospitals in Accra, analyzed the data and drafted the report. Data

abstraction at the various police stations was done by national service fellows assigned to the AMA

Data Unit. Data abstraction at the hospitals was done by junior and senior nurses and data input

staff of the institutions that participated in the retrospective study. Sara Whitehead from Vital

Strategies supervised data collection, analysis and publication of the report.

The BIGRS team in Accra led by the City Lead, Desmond Appiah, and Initiative Coordinator, Osei

Kufuor, also contributed to aspects of the report. Sylviane Ratte from Vital Strategies played an

integral role in the production of this report.

Special thanks go to Bloomberg Philanthropies for the financial support, heads of departments at

AMA, the Accra Regional Commander and officers of the MTTD of the Ghana Police Service, and

staff of KBTH and Ridge Hospital.


4

http://globaldesigningcities.org/

Executive Summary

Global estimates show that the lives of about 3,700 people across the world are cut short everyday due

to road traffic crashes. Furthermore, approximately 55,000 to 137,000 people suffer non-fatal injuries

with many suffering disability as a result of the severity of the injuries.

In Ghana, there were approximately 6 recorded road traffic deaths every day in 2016. The recorded

number of fatalities that year represented an increase of 16% from the figure recorded in 2015. In the

city of Accra, there were 243 recorded road deaths in 2015 – a 69% increase from the total number of

deaths the previous year.

Knowledge of the magnitude and risks of road traffic deaths and injuries facilitate context-specific and

appropriate interventions. This report presents information on deaths and injuries from road traffic

crashes in the Accra Metropolitan area from 2016 to 2018, using data from police records. The report

also presents information on the characteristics of road crash victims in two referral hospitals in Accra

for 2017. Data from the two health facilities were linked to police crash records to generate a new

estimate of the number of road traffic deaths using a statistical approached called capture-recapture

analysis. An assessment of behavioural risk factors for road injuries in Accra is also presented in the

report. Data were sourced from police crash reports, hospital records and observational studies on road

injury risk factors.

Findings show that the number of reported road traffic crashes in Accra dropped from 1,697 in 2016 to

1,248 in 2017, before increasing sharply to 1,812 in 2018. Similarly, there was a drop in the number of

road crash victims from 2016 to 2017, and a sharp increase in serious injuries and deaths by 89% and

51% respectively, from 2017 to 2018. Vulnerable road users — pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists

— made up 84% of road deaths in 2018.

From 2016 to 2018, males accounted for more than 75% of all road deaths and serious injuries, and

the highest proportion of deaths and serious injuries were among those aged 20 to 39 years. A higher

proportion of deaths were recorded between 6pm and 8pm during the review period. In addition, fatal

crashes occurred frequently between Fridays and Sundays.

The number of crashes involving commercial vehicles (taxis and “trotros” [commercial bus and

minibuses]) increased by about 60% from 2017 to 2018. Similarly, the number of deaths involving public

commercial vehicles increased by 88% from 2017 to 2018. About a half of all crashes and deaths on

major national highways in the Accra Metropolitan area occurred on the N1 in 2018.

Analysis of hospital records showed that there were 590 cases of road crash casualties in 2017 at the

two health facilities which participated in the retrospective study. Of these, 425 causalities on admission

were discharged while 165 cases resulted in deaths. Of the deaths, 30% were due to crashes occurring


5

within Accra. The casualty distribution of deaths and those with injuries by sex, age and road user type

was similar to what was observed in police records.

Findings from the mortality re-estimation analysis showed an estimate of 233 deaths in Accra in 2017

compared to 86 deaths captured in police records. There will be a need for additional studies on data

linkage/mortality re-estimation to get a better sense of the burden of road deaths in Accra. The findings

in this study provide baseline information. The underreporting in police records gives credence to the

importance of using complementary data to enhance the reliability of official crash records.

Findings from the observational studies on four risk factors assessed showed that the rate of drink

driving has been generally low from 2015 to 2019, with less than 1% of drivers testing above the legal

limit of 0.08% g/dL. The proportion of vehicles speeding above the posted limit has declined slightly

from 2015 to 2019 but was still very high in the most recent round of observations – at 77%. A higher

proportion of motorcycles were observed speeding relative to other vehicle types (86%) in the most

recent round. This was followed by sports utility vehicles (SUVs) (83%) and cars (78%).

In all 5 years of data collection, seatbelt use has been significantly higher among drivers compared to

passengers. In the most recent round for example, seatbelt use among drivers was 81% compared to

14% among passengers. The rate of motorcycle drivers correctly wearing helmets has been fluctuating

throughout the observation period. In the latest round, 75% of motorcycle drivers were observed to be

correctly wearing helmets compared to 45% among motorcycle passengers.


4 out of 5 victims of road deaths in

2018 were among males.

HIGHLIGHTS

84% of road deaths in 2018

were among vulnerable

road users.

had the highest

proportion of road

deaths in 2018.

20-39 year olds

A higher proportion of road traffic deaths from 2016-2018 occurred between

6pm and 8pm

47% of road deaths in Accra

occur on weekends

Fridays

Saturdays Sundays

Underreporting

There was underreporting of road

deaths in 2017.

Police records: 86

Re-estimation exercise: 233

6

77% of vehicles observed to

be speeding above the

posted limit.

50

75%

Motorcycle

drivers correctly

wear helmets

45%

Motorcycle

passengers

correctly wear

helmets

81%

Drivers

observed to

be wearing

seatbelt.

14%

Passengers observed to be wearing seatbelt.

List of Abbreviations

AMA Accra Metropolitan Assembly

BIGRS Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety

BRRI Building and Road Research Institute

DVLA Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority

GSS Ghana Statistical Service

GARH Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital)

KBTH Korle Bu Teaching Hospital

JH-IIRU Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit

MTTD Motor Traffic and Transport Department (Ghana Police Service)

NRSC National Road Safety Commission


7

Globally, deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes remain a serious problem1.

Estimates show that the lives of about 3,700 people across the world are cut short

every day due to road traffic crashes2. Furthermore, approximately 55,000 to 137,000

people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many suffering disability as a result of the severity

of the injuries2.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have the highest proportion of people who

die or get injured due to road traffic crashes, although they only account for a small

proportion of the world’s motor vehicles3,4. For example, about 13% of road traffic

deaths are in low-income countries, yet, they account for only 1% of motor vehicles

globally5.

Furthermore, countries in Africa have rates of road traffic deaths higher than the global

rate and other world regions, with 26.6 deaths per 100,000 population in 2016

compared to 18.2 deaths per 100,000 population globally, and 20.7 deaths per

100,000 population for countries in South-East Asia5.

In Ghana, there were approximately 6 recorded road traffic deaths every day in 20166.

The recorded number of fatalities that year represented an increase of 16% from the

figure recorded in 2015. In the city of Accra, there were 243 recorded road deaths in

2015 – a 69% increase from the total number of deaths the previous year7.

The burden of road traffic crashes at the global level, in different world regions, and at

country and city levels present a significant public health, social and economic problem

especially as a majority of those who die due to road traffic crashes are young people

in their most productive years.


3700 People die every day due to road traffic crashes worldwide.

Introduction

DID YOU KNOW?

8

Knowledge of the magnitude and risks of deaths and injuries due to road traffic crashes facilitate

context-specific and appropriate interventions. Due to the fact that underreporting of road traffic deaths

is common in many countries, there an underestimation of the burden which has resulted in a lack of

attention given to road safety relative to other public health challenges9.

This report presents information on deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes in the Accra

Metropolitan area from 2016 to 2018, using data from police records. This report is an update of a

previous report which presented information on trends in road crashes in Accra from 2011 to 2015.

Additionally, this report provides information on road-user risk behaviours and implemented actions to

improve road safety in Accra.

The report also presents information on the characteristics of road crash victims in two referral hospitals

in Accra for 2017. Data from the two health facilities were linked to police crash records to generate a

new estimate of the number of road traffic deaths using a statistical approached called capture-

recapture analysis.

Main sections of the report:


Purpose of Report

9

-2019

Retrospective assessment of road traffic casualties in Accra, 2017

Police crash records are the source of official road traffic crash data in Ghana. The Motor Traffic and

Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service uses a paper-based system to record

crashes. The information captured is largely in unstructured narrative text fields. The Building and Road

Research Institute (BRRI) on behalf of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) visit police

stations at the end of each calendar year to collect road-crash data using a standard crash reporting

form with systematic fields for variables. The data is then coded and stored for further analysis.

Analysis of 2016 data for the Accra Metropolitan area was done onsite by the BIGRS Surveillance

Coordinator at BRRI’s office in Kumasi. Completed paper copies of 2017 data were derived from BRRI

and were entered and analyzed at the AMA Data Unit. National Service and Nation Builder’s Corps

(NABCO) fellows at the AMA Data Unit visited police stations in Accra and abstracted road-crash data

for 2018.

A retrospective assessment of road traffic deaths and serious injuries during 2017 was conducted at

two referral hospitals in Accra – the Accident Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), and the

Accident and Emergency Department of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital). This

assessment was conducted because police records usually underestimate the total burden of road

fatalities and serious injuries. This happens because not all cases are reported to the police, and the

outcome of all affected individuals may not be captured in the records10.

Data on risk factors for road injuries were assessed by direct observation of key behaviours: helmet

use, drink driving, speeding and seatbelt/child-restraint use. Under the BIGRS, Johns Hopkins

University International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIR) and BRRI conduct biannual observational

surveys.


Data Sources

1

2

3

Data Sources and Systems

10

Definitions

Definitions in this report conform to the definitions used by the legally mandated lead

agency for road safety, NRSC.

Road traffic crash

Crash resulting in injury, death or property damage and which involves at least

one vehicle on a public road.

Fatal crash

Crash in which at least one casualty dies within 30 days of the crash.

Serious injury crash

Crash in which at least one person is detained in hospital as an inpatient for

more than 24 hours.

About Accra

Accra is the capital of Ghana and also the administrative capital of the Greater Accra

region. The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is one of the 260 Metropolitan,

Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana and among the 29 MMDAs in

the Greater Accra region. AMA superintends over key areas of the Accra Metropolitan

area. Although, there have been boundary changes for many MMDAs recently, this

report presents information on road traffic deaths and injuries using the previous

boundary (as at 2016) of AMA to ensure consistency in reporting.


Accra has been Ghana’s capital since 1877 after the nation’s capital was moved

from Cape Coast. Accra is one of the most populated and fastest growing

metropolis in Africa with an annual population growth rate of 3.1%.

Source: https://ama.gov.gh/thehistory.php

11

DID YOU KNOW?

Estimates show that in 2018, the population of Accra was estimated to be 2,060,63011 – with

approximately 48% males and 52% females (Figure 1). In addition to the resident population, more than

half a million commuters stream in daily from other municipalities in the Greater Accra region to engage

in economic activities in the Accra Metropolitan area. Furthermore, data from the Driver and Vehicle

Licensing Authority (DVLA) show that there were 93,135 newly registered vehicles in 2018 (Figure 2).

This information is important because there is an association between traffic volumes/vehicle fleet and

road safety.


Estimated Population and Registered Vehicles

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,00

0

2,000,000

2,500,000

0

2016 2017 2018

Po

pu

lation

Female

Male

Figure 1. Estimated population in Accra by sex, 2016 - 2018

19%

69%

6%

6%

Percent distribution for

vehicles, 2016-2018

12

Cars

Motorcycles

Buses

Heavy goods

vehicles

Figure 2. Number of newly registered vehicles in the Greater Accra region, 2016 - 2018

2018 2017 2016

100,000

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

Num

ber

of

vehic

les

The number of recorded road traffic crashes in Accra dropped from 1,697 in 2016 to 1,248 in 2017,

before increasing sharply to 1,812 in 2018 (Figure 3). Similarly, there was a drop in the number of road

crash victims from 2016 to 2017, and a sharp increase in serious injuries and deaths by 89% and 51%

respectively, from 2017 to 2018. To put the numbers in perspective, the recorded number of deaths in

Accra for 2018 is lower than the 243 deaths recorded in 2015 when the BIGRS started in Accra. The

death rate due to road crashes in 2018 was 6.3 per 100,000 population and 14.0 per 10,000 vehicles

(Figure 4).


Road Crashes, Serious Injuries and Deaths in Accra 2016 - 2018 1

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2016 2017 2018

111 86 130

468

333

630

1697

1248

1812

Crashes

Serious injuries

Deaths

Figure 3. Road traffic trends in Accra

Num

ber

of

cra

shes/v

ictim

s

13

2016 2017 2018

111 86

130

5.7

4.3

6.3

16.6

11.5

14.0

0

4

8

Deaths per

10,000 vehicles

Deaths per 100,000

population

Figure 4. Road traffic death rates, 2016 - 2018

Death

rate

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

2000

1800

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

Vulnerable road users — pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists — made up 84% of road deaths in

2018 (Figure 5). Additionally, about two-thirds of serious injury crashes were among these road users

(Figure 6). A similar pattern was recorded in 2016 and 2017. This is a typical urban pattern and quite

distinct from non-urban areas, where higher-speed roads put vehicle occupants at a higher risk of

deaths. Therefore, it is important that street designs and other interventions to improve road crash

outcomes are oriented to protecting pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.


Deaths and Serious Injuries by Road User Type

2016 2017 2018

Pedestrians

Car, bus, truck

occupants

Bicyclists

71%

60% 60%

20% 23%

16%

6%

14%

22%

Motorcyclists

3% 3% 2%

Perc

ent

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Perc

ent

2016 2017 2018

Pedestrians

Car, bus, truck

occupants

Bicyclists

49%

44%

37%

29% 29%

36%

20%

25% 25% Motorcyclists

2% 2% 2%

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Figure 6. Serious injuries by road user type

14

Figure 5. Deaths by road user type

Figures 7 and 8 show deaths and serious injuries by sex. There were more male deaths and serious

injuries compared to females, which is consistent with global patterns. From 2016 to 2018, males

accounted for more than 75% of all road deaths and serious injuries.


340

250

472

129

83

158

100

200

300

600

700

0

2016 2017 2018

Num

ber

of

serio

us inju

ries

Female

Male

Figure 8. Serious injuries by sex

400

500

4 out of 5 victims with serious injuries

were males

Serious injuries

in 2018

Deaths and Injuries by Sex

DID YOU KNOW?

“From a young age, males are more likely to be involved in road

traffic crashes than females. About three quarters (73%) of all road

traffic deaths globally occur among young males who are almost 3

times as likely to be killed in a road traffic crash as young females”1.

3x as likely to be

killed in a crash

as females

15

85

67

101

26

19

29

20

40

60

120

140

0

2016 2017 2018

Num

ber

of

dea

ths

Female

Male

Figure 7. Deaths by sex

80

100

78% of victims were males

22% were females

Deaths in 2018

The highest proportion of deaths and serious injuries from 2016 to 2018 occurred among those aged

20 to 39 years (Figures 9 to 11). Many of these victims are economically active – resulting in loss of

income for households who lose bread winners and increase in expenditure from direct costs of

treatment for those seriously injured. A similar age distribution has been observed in traffic injury deaths

and related hospitalizations in many countries in Asia and Africa12. The observed pattern of deaths and

injuries by age group in Accra can help guide police enforcement by targeting individuals with a high

risk of death and serious injury.

0


Figure 9. Deaths and serious injuries by age group, 2016



Num

ber

of

de

ath

s a

nd inju

ries

N

um

ber

of

de

ath

s a

nd inju

ries

N

um

ber

of

de

ath

s a

nd inju

ries

7 6

23 2214

10

1 2 1

1422

107 105

49

24

82 2

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0-9 10-19. 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

8 9

2837

1911 10 7

1

26

44

176 174

130

53

20

70

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

0-9 10-19. 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

10 7

2128

20

9 6 82

37

50

140

126

62

31

17

06

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

0-9 10-19. 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

Deaths and Serious Injuries by Age

16

Deaths

Serious

injuries

2016

Deaths

Serious

injuries

2017

Deaths

Serious

injuries

2018

A higher number of crashes were recorded between 2pm and 8pm from 2016 to 2018 (Figure 11).

However, there were more road traffic deaths between 4pm and 10pm (Figure 13). Particularly, a higher

proportion of deaths were recorded between 6pm and 8pm compared to other times of the day. The

MTTD, Ghana Police Service can use this information in the deployment of officers for enforcement.


Num

ber

of

cra

sh

es

Figure 12. Crashes by time of day

Figure 13. Deaths by time of day

Crashes and Deaths by Time of Day

A higher proportion of road traffic deaths in Accra

occur between 6pm and 8pm.

DID YOU KNOW?

42 34

65

131

175

153

194

225 223

201

162

92

28 26

54

100

134 142123

171

144

12126

78

49 47

96

180

217

174 182

207210

187

156

107

0

50

100

150

200

250

Crashes

2016

2017

2018

76

11

8

6

10

7

1012

15

11

8

1

3 3

65 5 4

6

13

21

14

5

7

9

11

10

8

9

7

109

21

19

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

Num

ber

of

de

ath

s

17

Deaths

2016

2017

2018

There was no observed pattern for crashes by day of week from 2016 to 2018. In 2016 and 2017, the

highest number of crashes were recorded on Fridays, and in 2018 more crashes were recorded on

Tuesdays (Figure 14). However, fatal road crashes occurred frequently between Fridays and Sundays

(Figure 15).


231 228

241 239

272

247239

179189

165

182190 186

158

278 280

267262

244 246235

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Figure 14. Crashes by day of week

Crashes

2016

2017

2018

13

10

21

14

11

18

24

11

9

1312

15 15

11

20

15

19

15

18

2122

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Figure 15. Deaths by day of week

Crashes and Deaths by Day of Week

47% of road deaths in Accra occur

on weekends

Fridays

Saturdays Sundays

Highlight

18

Num

ber

of cra

shes

Num

ber

of

death

s

Deaths

2016

2017

2018

Tables 1, 2 and 3 show crashes, serious injuries and deaths in Accra respectively, by day of week and

time for 2018. The information presented below on the higher risk days and times can assist the MTTD

in their enforcement planning. The level of staffing and the enforcement of risk factors such as drink

driving, speed, helmet use, and non-use of seatbelts and child restraints could be the focus during

higher-risk times.

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

00:01-04:00 18 10 15 13 7 16 17

04:01-08:00 46 51 49 34 39 22 35

08:01-12:00 52 66 50 70 45 61 47

12:01-16:00 63 55 56 56 61 48 49

16:01-20:00 62 65 66 55 55 50 44

20:01-24:00 37 33 31 34 37 49 43

278 280 267 262 244 246 235


00:01-04:00 7 11 9 5 10 9 8

04:01-08:00 14 15 15 8 17 12 14

08:01-12:00 17 16 11 18 14 15 15

12:01-16:00 19 20 15 14 15 21 20

16:01-20:00 23 22 20 21 22 24 22

20:01-24:00 14 12 15 14 12 12 13

Total 94 96 85 80 90 93 92


00:01-04:00 4 2 1 2 2 4 1

04:01-08:00 4 3 3 2 3 1 5

08:01-12:00 3 1 4 1 2 1 4

12:01-16:00 2 2 1 1 4 5 1

16:01-20:00 3 5 5 5 5 6 6

20:01-24:00 4 2 5 4 2 4 5

Total 20 15 19 15 18 21 22


Crashes by Day of Week and Time of Day

≤10 crashes

11-20 crashes

21-30 crashes

31-40 crashes

41-50 crashes

≥ 50 crashes

Table 1. Crashes by day and time, 2018

Table 2. Serious injuries by day and time, 2018

Table 3. Deaths by day and time, 2018

19

0-2 deaths 3-4 deaths ≥ 5 deaths

0-9 serious injuries 10-19 serious injuries ≥ 20 serious injuries

2016

2017

2018

There were no seasonal patterns in the number of deaths and serious injuries by month from 2016 to

2018 (Figures 16, 17 and 18). However, crashes were reported most frequently from the second half of

the year for 2016 and 2017.


10 6 7 713 8 12 11 9 7

147

24 22

42 46 48 46 49

32 3341

29

57

104 102

139

156

138 139

165

145

131

173

152 153

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

3 713

3 38 7 11

311

512

2015

3224 25

30

18 22 2332

4250

5749

93 96

109

90

77

118

129139

147 144

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

8 815 18 13

5 10 512 10 8

18

43 4050

59 54 50 52 5751

5852

64

124117

139147

186

152

167 165

135

179

149 152

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Figure 16. Crashes, deaths and serious injuries by month, 2016



Crashes, Deaths and Serious Injuries by Month

20

Num

be

r of

cra

she

s a

nd

vic

tim

s

Num

be

r of

cra

she

s a

nd

vic

tim

s

Num

be

r of

cra

she

s a

nd

vic

tim

s

Crashes

Deaths

Serious

injuries

Crashes

Deaths

Serious

injuries

Crashes

Deaths

Serious

injuries

The number of crashes involving commercial vehicles (taxis and “trotros” [commercial bus and

minibuses]) increased by about 60% from 2017 to 2018. Similarly, the number of deaths involving public

commercial vehicles increased by 88% from 2017 to 2018 (Figure 19). Behavioural change

communication and enforcement should target drivers of these vehicle types to reduce the number of

crashes, deaths and injuries involving these vehicles.

Crash reports document whether police suspected alcohol use among “at fault” drivers. During this

period, neither breathalyzers nor blood testing at hospitals were available to determine breath or blood

alcohol content. The numbers reflect police officers’ suspicion of alcohol, and are therefore likely to be

significant underestimates, which should be interpreted with caution. In 2016 and 2018, about 2% of

crashes in Accra were caused by drivers suspected to have used alcohol (Figure 20). However, in 2017,

7% of crashes were caused by drivers suspected to under the influence of alcohol.


Crashes, Deaths and Injuries Involving Commercial Public Vehicles

790

311

500

160

66

141

3016

300

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

2016 2017 2018

Figure 19. Crashes, deaths and serious injuries involving public commercial vehicles

Crashes

Serious

injuries

34

89

28

0 20 40 60 80 100

2018

2017

2016

Crashes Associated with Suspected Alcohol Use

Figure 20. Crashes associated with suspected alcohol use

21

Number of crashes

Num

ber

of

cra

sh

es a

nd

vic

tim

s

Deaths

Overall, there were 103 crashes and 24 deaths on the major national highways in the Accra Metropolitan

area in 2018. About a half of all the crashes and deaths occurred on the N1 (Figures 21 and 22). These

findings can inform road design modifications or assessments especially on the N1 considering that it

runs through densely populated communities in Accra.


140

4552

1217 20

94

2631

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

2016 2017 2018

Crashes and Deaths on Major Highways

N1

N4

N6

10

9

12

0

4 4

7

5

8

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

2016 2017 2018

Figure 21. Crashes on major national highways

N1

N4

N6

The N1 is the main highway along the coast of Ghana, with a total distance of approximately

540 kilometres (335.5 miles). In Accra, the highway covers a 14 kilometre (8.7mile) stretch

from the urban town of Mallam to the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange and is also called the

George Walker Bush Highway. It was officially opened to motorists and other road users on

15th February 2012.

22

Num

ber

of cra

shes

Num

ber

of

death

s

Figure 22. Deaths on major national highways

DID YOU KNOW?

Maps showing the crash locations, serious injuries and deaths are presented below. It is important to

point out the police do not routinely capture Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates at the site of

a crash. Police crash reports describe the crash location with a sketch which provides information such

as the number of meters from an intersection and the direction of the vehicle(s) involved in the crash.

GPS coordinates analyzed for this report were derived using an application called Quantum Geographic

Information Systems (QGIS) based on the description provided in the crash reports. Heat maps have

been used in this report to present crashes, injuries and deaths in Accra from 2016 to 2018. Heat maps

are one of the best visualization tools for dense point data and are used to easily identify clusters with

a high concentration of activity.


Crash Maps

Heat map of all

crashes, 2016-2018

23

2016-2018 all crashes


24

Heat map of

serious injury

crashes, 2017-2018

2016-2018 serious injury crashes


25

Heat map of fatal

crashes, 2016-2018

2016-2018 fatal crashes

A retrospective study was conducted to collect road traffic fatality and serious injury data from two major

tertiary care hospitals which receive the most severely injured patients, in order to describe the

epidemiologic profile of those killed and injured, and to provide a basis for re-estimation of road traffic

mortality in the city of Accra.

The study was conducted at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) – at the Accident Centre and

Mortuary Department, and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (also referred to as Ridge Hospital) –

at the Accident and Emergency Department. In both hospitals, the study included the population of

patients who reported to the hospitals from January 1 to December 31, 2017 with injuries related to a

road traffic crash, who were admitted at these health facilities and were either discharged or died.

In total, there were 590 cases of road crash casualties at the two health facilities in 2017. Of this, 425

causalities on admission were discharged while 165 cases resulted in deaths (Figure 23). Of the number

of deaths, 30% occurred within Accra* (Figure 24).


Retrospective assessment of road traffic deaths and serious

injuries in two referral hospitals in Accra, 2017 2

Figure 23. Injuries and deaths at two major referral hospitals in Accra, 2017

277

0

148

77 84

4

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

KBTH (Accident Centre) KBTH (Mortuary) Ridge Hospital

Num

ber

of

vic

tim

s

Figure 24. Proportion of hospital deaths from crashes within and outside Accra, 2017

26

Patients with

injuries who

were discharged

Deaths

30%

Deaths

Crashes within

Accra*

Crashes outside

Accra

Crash location

unknown

*The definition of Accra is the boundary of AMA as at 2017.

Similar to police crash records, hospital records also show that males accounted for a large proportion

(70%) of deaths due to road crashes (Figure 25). Additionally, deaths and injuries were highest among

those aged between 20 to 39 years – which is also consistent with police data (Figure 26).


Sex distribution of road traffic casualties

Figure 25. Hospital road traffic deaths and injuries by sex, 2017

Age distribution of road traffic casualties

Number of victims

10%12%

25%26%

13%

10%

3%2%

1%

10%

7%

15%

27%

21%

13%

5%

0%

4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

0-9 10-19. 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

Figure 26. Hospital road traffic deaths and injuries by age group, 2017

27

Pe

rce

nt

Deaths

Injuries

106

319

49

116

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Deaths

Injuries

7 out of 10 Deaths at the hospitals

were males

2017

Injuries and deaths fluctuated by month without an observed seasonal pattern (Figure 27). The month

with the highest number of injuries (August) did not match what was observed in police data for the

same year. However, the highest number of deaths were recorded in March for both hospital and police

records for 2017.


Figure 27. Hospital road traffic deaths and injuries by month, 2017

Injuries and Deaths by Month

In 2017, a higher proportion of deaths were recorded

in March in both police and hospital records.

28

Num

be

r o

f in

jurie

s a

nd d

eath

s

Deaths

Injuries

19 20

59

40

13

25

36

84

38

43

18

23

13

21

9 97 6

9

37 6

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Hospital road injury and death data by road user type shows a similar pattern to police records. A higher

proportion of hospital-reported injuries and deaths were among casualties who were vulnerable road

users like pedestrians and motorcyclists (Figures 28 and 29).

38%

20%

20%

21%

1%

Figure 28. Hospital injuries by road user type, 2017

Figure 29. Hospital deaths by road user type, 2017


Injuries and Deaths by Road User Type

Pedestrians

Motorcyclists

Car/bus/truck occupants

Bicyclists

? Unknown

29

55%

19%

20%

5%

1%

While police crash reports are the main source of many city or national data systems for road injuries

and deaths, they have significant limitations13. Underreporting is common and is usually more severe

for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and motorcyclists14. The World Health Organization (WHO)

recommends that to get a more realistic estimate for road injuries and deaths, at least two data sources,

including at least one health-sector source, should be used15.

Road injury data from health facilities is therefore needed both to better estimate the rate of road injuries

and deaths; and to better describe the types and severity of injuries. These data can also inform

prevention efforts.

In Ghana, other data sources such as the civil registration and vital statistics system, and insurance

records are not reliable, accurate or readily available. Therefore, it was determined that data from

hospitals would be the best source to link to police crash data to obtain more accurate mortality

estimates.

Retrospective data on road traffic casualties were collected from two referral hospitals in Accra: KBTH

and Ridge Hospital. In each hospital, local hospital staff were engaged to conduct case identification

and data abstraction on site. Initial identification of eligible cases was done using emergency

department logbooks which identify road crash injuries, and mortuary records. Using the hospital card

numbers extracted from the registries, charts were requested from the medical records unit. Post

mortem records were requested where applicable. Data abstraction staff completed a form detailing

socio-demographic details, information about the crash location and circumstances (if available), and

information about diagnoses and procedures. Personal identifying information (name, age, residential

address), were collected in order to conduct linkage to police fatal crash records from the same time

period – from January 1 to December 31, 2017.


Linkage of police crash reports and retrospective data from two

referral hospitals in Accra, 2017 3

Methodology

Background

DID YOU KNOW?

Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is currently the third largest hospital in Africa and the

leading national referral centre in Ghana with a bed capacity of over 1500.

Source: http://kbth.gov.gh/brief-history/

30

Ethical approval was provided by the Institutional Review Board of KBTH, the Ghana Health Service–

Ethics Review Committee (GHS-ERC) and Ethics Advisory Group, International Union Against

Tuberculosis and Lung Disease on behalf of Vital Strategies.

Manual linkage to police fatal crash records were conducted after the hospital chart abstractions were

completed. Deaths due to crashes occurring outside Accra were excluded. Linkage variables included

name (allowing for spelling variation), date of crash/date of presentation to hospital (+/- two days), age

and gender.

A capture-recapture approach was then used to estimate the number of road fatalities in Accra.

Capture-recapture is an approach for providing estimates of an event based on cases that are captured

by different data sources16. The technique was originally developed for estimating wildlife populations

but has been applied to a variety of epidemiological situations in the past 20 years17, including road

traffic morbidity and mortality18,19. The capture-recapture approach in this study employed the use of

the Chapman estimator20. Data entry and analysis was done at the AMA Data Unit.


Data Analysis

Ethical Approval

Data abstraction at the Accident Centre, KBTH Data entry at the AMA Data Unit

31

From January 1 to December 31, 2017, the total number of road traffic deaths at the two hospitals which

participated in the retrospective study was 165. 50 of these occurred within the AMA boundary, 107

outside the AMA boundary, and 8 from unknown locations. For linkage and capture-recapture

estimation, cases with unknown crash location were excluded. Only deaths captured in hospital records

and which were associated with crashes occurring in Accra were included in the linkage and capture-

recapture analysis.

18 cases of hospital records could be linked to police records, yielding a 21% matching rate of police

records. Table 4 shows the characteristics of victims of road deaths from police records only, hospital

records only and linked cases.

Table 4. Characteristics of road traffic deaths in police only, hospital only and linked police data sets.

Characteristic Police only Hospital only Linked

n % n % n %

Total 86 100 50 100 18 100

Sex

Male 67 77.9 33 66.0 10 55.6

Female 19 22.1 17 34.0 8 44.4

Age group (years)

0 – 14 11 12.8 6 12.0 2 11.1

15 – 24 11 12.8 7 14.0 2 11.1

25 – 49 50 58.1 26 52.0 11 61.1

50 – 74 12 14.0 9 18.0 2 11.1

≥ 75 2 2.3 2 4.0 1 5.6

Road user type

Motorcyclist 28 32.5 9 18.0 2 11.1

Vehicle occupant 6 7.0 7 14.0 2 11.1

Pedestrian 52 60.5 30 60.0 12 66.7

Other/unknown 0 0 4 8.0 2 11.1


Results

32

Figure 30 shows a flow chart of reported road traffic deaths in Accra from both hospital and police

records. Using the capture-recapture analysis, the estimated number of road deaths in Accra in 2017

was 233.

Figure 30: Flow chart of reported road traffic deaths in Accra, 2017

Hospital-reported road traffic deaths n=165

Cases from crashes inside Accra n=50

Cases from crashes outside Accra n=107

Cases with unknown crash location n=8

Estimated number of deaths in 2017

n=233

Capture-recapture analysis

Police Reported deaths in Accra

n=86

Linked cases n=18

KBTH Accident Centre Reported road deaths

n=77

Ridge Accident Dept. Reported road deaths

n=4

KBTH Morgue Dept. Reported road deaths

n=84


Results

33

Data on causalities from road traffic crashes in two trauma hospitals in Accra showed a similar distribution of

deaths by sex, age and road-user type reported by the police for 2017. The population most at risk is similar

in both hospital and police data – males, young and middle-aged adults (20-39 years of age) and pedestrians.

These findings are consistent with key findings in previous studies in Ghana21 and other African cities22.

The findings in this retrospective study provide evidence of an underreporting of deaths by the police. in

Accra. This underreporting could potentially introduce biases in relation to the risk of deaths and injuries

among specific groups of road users. It is widely known that not all crashes are recorded by the police for a

number of reasons23. A previous capture-recapture study in Malawi found that there was a 166%

underreporting rate of road traffic deaths by the police24.

The study covered a limited geographical area, and therefore generalizing to other cities in Ghana should be

done with caution. Also, not all trauma hospitals in Accra participated in the study. This could have potentially

affected the number of matched cases in police records. Nonetheless, it is important to highlight that KBTH

and Ridge Hospital attend to a high proportion of severe injury cases due to road crashes in Accra, and the

capture-recapture approach assumes that not all cases are captured in any one source. The process of

screening for eligible cases varied at the two hospitals due to differences in documentation and storing data,

and this may have resulted in some cases being missed. Although the proportion of unknown crash locations

in hospital records was relatively low, it may also have affected the number of matched cases to police

records. The conservative approach of excluding hospital cases with unknown crash location was used for

analysis, which might lead to an underestimate in the capture-recapture calculation. It is important to point

out that there will be a need for additional studies on data linkage/mortality re-estimation to get a better sense

of the burden of road deaths in Accra. The findings in this study provide baseline information.

It can be concluded that the police records in Accra for 2017 suffers from serious underreporting of fatal

crash victims. The underreporting in police records gives credence to the importance of using complementary

data to enhance official crash data records.


Discussion

Limitations

Conclusion and Recommendations

Improve data collection systems in trauma hospitals in Accra to facilitate the capturing of reliable, standardized and accurate data for analysis and planning. This would improve surveillance data quality and provide additional data on the burden of road deaths and injury.

Linkage of hospital and police data should be routinely done to assess the level of underreporting of official crash records and to get a better estimate of the number of people who die or get seriously injured in road crashes since the burden of road crashes has significant social and economic implications at the household and national levels.

Road design interventions, enforcement, education and other interventions to improve road safety outcomes should focus on groups who are at most risk of death and/or being injured in road crashes using data from both hospital and police records.

Recommendation

1

Recommendation

2

Recommendation

3

34

As part of the BlGRS, eight rounds of roadside observational studies have been conducted (twice a

year) by Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) between June 2015 and April 2019.

The primary goal of these observational studies is to assess the prevalence and trends of key road

behaviours: helmet use, seatbelt use, speeding and drink driving. All eight rounds of the observational

study used a multistage sampling technique in the selection of the study sites. A standardized

observation protocol and data collection instrument were used to record measurement of speed,

seatbelt/child restraint use, helmet use and drink driving.

The rate of drink driving in Accra has been generally low from round 1 to round 8, with less than 1% of

drivers testing above the legal limit of 0.08% g/dL. While less than 1% of drivers testing above the legal

limit may appear low, this presents an important number of drivers under the influence of alcohol who

may be a risk to other road users at any given time. In addition, approximately 2% of drivers tested

positive for alchohol, although not above the legal limit, in the most recent round of observations (Table

5). It is important to point out that the alcohol limit in Ghana does not yet meet the standard of 0.05%

g/mL for many countries, as such, the 2% of drivers testing positive for any alcohol represents a

substantial proportion with impairment, even if they do not reach the legal limit.

Jun-Aug

2015

(n=3,669)

Jan-Mar

2016

(n=3,580)

Jul-Aug

2016

(n=3,867)

Mar-Apr

2017

(n=7,057)

Jul-Sep

2017

(n=7,764)

Feb-Apr

2018

(n=7,764)

Jul-Aug

2018

(n=7,456)

Mar-Apr

2018

(n=8,178)

Drivers testing above the legal limit for alcohol

0.4% 0.7% 0.3% 0.4% 0.9% 0.8% 0.4% 0.5%

Drivers testing positive for any alcohol

1.3% 2.0% 1.6% 1.6% 1.7% 1.3% 1.8% 1.7%


Monitoring of behavioural risk factors for road crashes in Accra,

2015-2019 4

Table 5. Proportion of drivers in Accra testing positive for alcohol

Drink Driving

Despite the widely held view, coffee, a

cold shower, or exercise will not make a

person who has consumed alcohol

more sober – only time will 25.

Myth

Impairment is not reliant upon the type

of alcohol consumed, rather the number

of drinks over a certain period of time.25

Fact

35

81%

74%69%

74% 72%76%

68%

77%

47%

40%

50%54% 51%

57%

45%48%

28%

21%

31% 31% 30%33%

24%28%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Jun-Aug

2015

(n=17,837)

Jan-Mar

2016

(n=16,312)

Jul-Aug

2016

(n=22,558)

Mar-Apr

2017

(n=39,135)

Jul-Sep

2017

(n=42,878)

Feb-Apr

2018

(n=42,687)

Jul-Aug

2018

(n=43,489)

Mar-Apr

2019

(n=45,849)

The proportion of vehicles speeding above the posted limit has declined slightly from 2015 to 2019 but

was still very high in the most recent round of observations – at 77% (Figure 31). A higher proportion

of motorcycles were observed speeding relative to other vehicle types (86%) in the most recent round.

This was followed by sports utility vehicles (SUVs) (83%) and cars (78%) (Figure 32). Speed is an

important risk factor for road traffic deaths particularly among vulnerable road users who, as shown

earlier in this report, make up more than 80% of road deaths in Accra. Best-practice engineering

solutions for speed management, and effective enforcement activities such as the use of speed guns

and speed cameras may be employed to reduce speeds in Accra.

Figure 31. Percent distribution of vehicles speeding over the limit


Speeding

Above speed limit

By more than 10km/hr

By more than 20km/hr

Figure 32. Observed speeding by type of vehicle

48%

52%

68%

77%

78%

83%

86%

Cargo trucks

Buses

Minibus/minivan

Pickup/light truck

Cars

SUVs

Motorcycles

36

Pe

rce

nt

84%82%

80%

74%

82% 83%86%

81%

12%14%

14% 11% 14% 16%

22%

14%

14%

9%

19%

8% 9% 10%

17%

25%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Jun-Aug

2015

(n=48,787)

Jan-Mar

2016

(n=46,375)

Jul-Aug

2016

(n=51,071)

Mar-Apr

2017

(n=58,026)

Jul-Sep

2017

(n=57,774)

Feb-Apr

2018

(n=49,661)

Jul-Aug

2018

(n=46,755)

Mar-Apr

2019

(n=45,580)

Overall seatbelt use has ranged between 45% recorded in March-April of 2017 to 62% recorded in July-

August of 2018. In all eight rounds of observations, seatbelt use has been significantly higher among

drivers compared to passengers. In the most recent round, for example, seatbelt use among drivers

was 81% compared to 14% among passengers (Figure 33). There has been a gradual increase in the

use of child restraints among children below 5 years of age between 2018 and 2019, although the rate

in the most recent round was still relatively low (25%).

It is important to point out that there are constraints on passenger seat-belt use in public transport

vehicles in Accra. Public transport is the largest means of vehicular travels in Accra, and most of these

vehicles, particularly the commercial buses and minibuses (“trotro”), do not have seatbelts installed;

similar to some bus types (for example, motor coach buses and city buses) in other countries.

Nonetheless, police enforcement can target passengers of other vehicle types (both adult and children)

regarding the use of restraints.


Seatbelts and child restraints

Drivers using

seatbelts

Figure 33. Observed seatbelt and child restraint use

DID YOU KNOW?

✓ Among drivers and front-seat passengers, seatbelts reduce the risk of death by

45%, and cut the risk of serious injury by 50% 26.

✓ Passengers in the back seat are three times more likely to die in a crash if they

are not wearing seatbelts27.

Passengers estimated to be aged <5 years using child restraint device

Passengers

using seatbelts

37

Pe

rce

nt

85% 85% 86% 86%89%

86%88%

87%

36% 35%38%

36%

48% 49%

56% 55%

68% 69%65%

77% 77%

72%

76% 75%

29% 28% 27%31%

40% 40%

48%45%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Jun-Aug

2015

(n=15,630)

Jan-Mar

2016

(n=18,463)

Jul-Aug

2016

(n=19,172)

Mar-Apr

2017

(n=31,011)

Jul-Sep

2017

(n=26,636)

Feb-Apr

2018

(n=30,992)

Jul-Aug

2018

(n=30,912)

Mar-Apr

2019

(n=30,115)

The general use of helmets among motorcycle drivers has been consistently high from 2015 to 2019

(over 85% in all rounds). However, the rate of motorcycle drivers correctly wearing helmets, that is

buckled and correctly fitting, has been fluctuating throughout the eight rounds, and has been lower than

the general rate of helmet use among drivers (Figure 34).

The general rate of helmet use among motorcycle passengers has been lower than the rate observed

among drivers in all eight rounds. The rate is even much lower among passengers correctly wearing

helmets. The findings suggest that enforcement of helmet use should target motorcycle passengers as

the observed rates for correct helmet use were below 50% from 2015 to 2019.


Driver’s wearing

helmets

Passengers wearing

helmets

Passengers correctly

wearing helmets

Driver’s correctly

wearing helmets

Figure 34. Observed helmet use among motorcycle drivers and passengers

Correctly

wearing

helmets

Mar-Apr 2019 observational data

75%

Motorcycle

drivers

45%

Motorcycle

passengers

38

Pe

rce

nt

Helmet use

Lapaz intersection improvement

Safety at Lapaz intersection has been improved through the introduction of safety features such as

increasing pedestrian signal timing, remarking all road line markings, directional signs and pedestrian

crossings, lowering of kerbs at pedestrian crossing locations, narrowing of left turning lane widths and

widening the median refuge. The interventions were implemented in December 2018.

Implemented actions on road safety in Accra, 2016-2018 5


Safer Streets and Mobility

Ariel view of Lapaz intersection before the interventions

Ariel view of Lapaz intersection after the interventions

iRAP assessment

Assessment of 275 km of roads in Accra were

completed using the International Road Assessment

Programme (iRAP) protocols and methodology. The

assessment reports have been officially presented

to road agencies at city and national levels for

implementation. The agencies are implementing the

recommendations to ensure star ratings for all road

users are 3 star or better.

39

2018

,

Pedestrian Road Safety Action Plan implementation

Road agencies and other stakeholders have been implementing the pedestrian safety action plan which

was developed in December 2017 to help reduce the amount of road deaths and serious injuries

experienced by pedestrians. These include pedestrian crossings, bollards, pedestrian walkways,

pedestrian fencing, speed humps and related signs, footbridges, intersection signal improvements, and

intersection improvements.


Safer Streets and Mobility

Installed bollards and pedestrian crossings.

Pedestrian footbridge on the N4 to separate pedestrian

traffic from main traffic. In all, 6 of these are under

construction.

A mobile application, called TroTro Diaries,

has been developed to crowdsource road

crashes to:

1. Support with the identification of high

risk groups/locations/times for intervention

focus by the city management.

2. Inform periodic targeted mini campaigns

on road safety in Accra.

3. Ensure the prioritization of road

design/infrastructure in the city.

4.Guide enforcement activities by the

police and city metro guards.

The application was made available online

in May 2019 and updated in August 2019.

Mobile Application

40

The BIGRS and the Global Road Safety Partnership have supported the efforts of the MTTD of the

Ghana Police Service and the Metropolitan Guards to build and strengthen enforcement capabilities.


Enforcement

Road policing management training workshop Speed management training workshop

Use of helmet enforcement

Location: Nima

Drink driving enforcement

Location: James-Town

Seatbelt enforcement

Location: Kotobabi

Drink driving enforcement

Location: Dansoman

41

Enforcement of risk factors in Accra

Building enforcement capacity in Accra

Campaigns

AMA-BIGRS launched a Christmas mini campaign in 2018 on speeding. The occasion was also used

to present policing items to the police MTTD


Communications

42

AMA-BIGRS conducted a message testing exercise in July 2019 as part of preparations towards the

launch of the mass media campaign on speeding in October 2019.

Mini campaigns on drink driving and helmet use in 2018.


Communications

43

Stakeholder engagement in September 2019 to present results of the message testing for the upcoming

mass media campaign on speeding. Stakeholders included the police MTTD, Amend, NRSC, DVLA,

Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU), and the Ministry of Transport.

Remembrance Day

Mayor of Accra visited road crash casualties at Ridge Hospital to mark the World Road Crash Victims

Remembrance Day in 2018.

AMA-BIGRS collaborated with two major tertiary hospitals in Accra which receive the most severely

injured patients to collect road traffic fatality and serious injury data in order to describe the

epidemiologic profile of those killed and injured, and to provide a basis for re-estimation of road traffic

mortality in the city.

Surveillance

Interaction with officials of KBTH

Operationalization of the AMA Data Unit: The

Unit was set up with support from Bloomberg

Philanthropies with the aim of promoting the use

of road crash data. The Data Unit served as a

central point for the entry and analysis of data

collected from hospital and police records for

this report.

AMA-BIGRS participated in stakeholder

engagements for the pilot implementation of

the new national crash recording system, the

Road Accident Data Management System

(RADMS). NRSC is coordinating activities in

relation to this new system.

Interaction with officials of Ridge Hospital

RADMS Stakeholder engagement

44


1. World Health Organization (WHO). Road Traffic. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries.

Accessed July 12, 2019

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Road Traffic Injuries and Deaths—A Global Problem. Available from:

https://www.cdc.gov/features/globalroadsafety/index.html. Accessed July 12, 2019

3. World Health Organization (WHO). Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2015. Geneva: WHO; 2016.

4. United Nations Road Safety Collaboration. Global Plan for the decade of action for road safety 2011-2020. Available at

http://www.who.int/roadsafety/decade_of_action/plan/en/. Accessed April 4, 2018.

5. World Health Organization (WHO). Global status report on road safety 2018. Geneva: WHO; 2018. Licence: CC BYNC-SA 3.0 IGO.

6. National Road Safety Commission. Road Traffic Crashes in Ghana, 2016. Ghana Road Fund Secretariat; 2017.

7. Accra Metropolitan Assembly. Road Safety Report, 2011-2015. Accra Metropolitan Assembly; 2017.

8. Gopalakrishnan S. A Public Health Perspective of Road Traffic Accidents. J Family Med Prim Care. 2012; 1(2):144-150.

9. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (June 2013). World population

Prospects: The 2012 Revision, Highlights. New York: United Nations.

10. World Health Organization (WHO). Data Systems: A Road Safety Data Manual for Decision-Makers and Practitioners. Geneva: WHO; 2010.

11. Ghana Statistical Service. Generated population figures for Accra Metropolis [unpublished].

12. Alam, K. and Mahal, A. The economic burden of road traffic injuries on households in South Asia. PloS one. 2016, 11(10): e0164362.

13. Adeloye D, Thompson JY, Akanbi MA, Azuh D, Samuel V, Omoregbe N, Ayo CK. The burden of road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths in

Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2016; 94(7):510.

14. Constant A, Lagarde E. Protecting vulnerable road users from injury. PLoS medicine. 2010; 7(3):e1000228.

15. World Health Organization (WHO), Road Safety in the African Region. Africa. Available from: http://www.afro.who.int/publications/. Accessed

June 6, 2018.

16. Morrison A, Stone DH. Capture-recapture: a useful methodological tool for counting traffic related injuries. Injury Prevention. 2000;6(4):299-

304.

17. LaPorte RE. Assessing the human condition: capture-recapture techniques. BMJ 1994; 308:5.

18. Abegaz T, Berhane Y, Worku A, Assrat A, Assefa A. Road traffic deaths and injuries are under-reported in Ethiopia: a capture-recapture

method. PLoS One. 2014;9(7):e103001.

19. Samuel JC, Sankhulani E, Qureshi JS, Baloyi P, Thupi C, Lee CN, Miller WC, Cairns BA, Charles AG. Under-reporting of road traffic mortality

in developing countries: application of a capture-recapture statistical model to refine mortality estimates. PLoS One. 2012;7(2): e31091.

20. Chapman DG. Some properties of hyper-geometric distribution with application to zoological census. University of California Publications

Statistics. 1951;1:131-60.

21. Ackaah W, Adonteng DO. Analysis of fatal road traffic crashes in Ghana. International journal of injury control and safety promotion.

2011;18(1):21-7.

22. Mabunda MM, Swart LA, Seedat M. Magnitude and categories of pedestrian fatalities in South Africa. Accident Analysis & Prevention.

2008;40(2):586-93.

23. Salifu M, Ackaah W. Under-reporting of road traffic crash data in Ghana. International journal of injury control and safety promotion.

2012;19(4):331-9.

24. Samuel JC, Sankhulani E, Qureshi JS, Baloyi P, Thupi C, Lee CN, Miller WC, Cairns BA, Charles AG. Under-reporting of road traffic mortality

in developing countries: application of a capture-recapture statistical model to refine mortality estimates. PloS one. 2012 Feb 15;7(2):e31091.

25. Bacharach SB, Bamberger P, Biron M. Alcohol consumption and workplace absenteeism: The moderating effect of social support. Journal of

Applied Psychology. 2010 Mar;95(2):334.

26. Department of Transportation (US), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Traffic Safety Facts: Children. Washington (DC):

NHTSA; 2010. Available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811387.pdf. Accessed on August 22, 2019.

27. Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). New Campaign Promotes Rear Belt Use in Ride-Share Vehicles. Available from

https://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-releases/MakeItClick19. Accessed on September 10, 2019.

References

45


d

Digital Address: GA-143-7447

P.O. Box 385, Accra Central, Ghana

+233 (0) 302 665 951

[email protected]

https://ama.gov.gh/

avoid › documents › ama_road_safety_report... · 2019-10-03 · road safety report, 2016 - 2018...

Documents