The city of Accra has recorded a 34 percent rise in road traffic fatalities in 2024, with pedestrians accounting for more than half of all deaths, according to the newly released Accra Road Safety Report.
The report also highlighted dangerous hotspots in Accra, including Kwashieman intersection (N1), North Dzorwulu intersection (N1), Flat top junction (N1), Abeka junction, and ABii National junction on the J.A Kufuor Avenue, with nearly half of all fatal crashes in the city occurring on weekends, between 8pm and 10 p.m.
The new report, launched at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) national partners meeting in Accra on Monday, revealed that pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists together made-up 86 percent of all deaths, underscoring the vulnerability of non-motorised road users in the capital.
Speaking at the launch, Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, in a speech read on his behalf by the Coordinating Director of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Mr. Douglas N.K. Annoful described the statistics as alarming and vowed to scale up interventions.
“These overwhelming numbers must stir us to double our efforts in various interventions,” he said, adding that “The AMA prioritises pedestrian safety, hence the reintroduction of the ‘red line policy’ to clear pavements of hawkers and safeguard the pedestrian.”
He emphasised that clearing walkways was both a safety and equity measure, adding that leadership required difficult but necessary decisions to protect lives.
Despite the rise in fatalities, Mayor Allotey noted signs of progress in speed control, citing a decline in speeding from 49 percent in March 2024 to 44 per cent in September 2024, largely due to enforcement and awareness campaigns.
