Ghana’s rising road crash toll in 2025 underscores a pressing national challenge, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has said, calling for stronger commitment and resources to protect lives on the country’s roads.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs. Pearl Adusu Sateckla, Public Relations Officer for the NRSA, said the alarming surge in crashes, fatalities, and injuries this year reflects the country’s inadequate responsiveness to road safety.
“If the same level of urgency and resources devoted to COVID-19 had been applied to road safety, outcomes would be drastically different,” Mrs. Sateckla said.
Statistics Reveal a Growing Human Toll
From January to October 2025, Ghana recorded 11,935 road crashes, a 7.3 per cent increase over the same period in 2024. Vehicles involved rose from 18,879 to 20,397, fatalities surpassed 2,400—a rise of over 300 lives lost—and injuries increased from 12,921 to 13,764.
Beyond numbers, Mrs. Sateckla emphasised that each crash represents real people, families devastated, and communities affected.
Causes: Recklessness, Weak Systems, and Infrastructure Gaps
According to the NRSA, the rise in crashes stems from a combination of reckless behaviour, inadequate enforcement, failing traffic management systems, and deteriorating road infrastructure. Broken traffic lights, faded markings, and poorly maintained roads create conditions where drivers’ discipline falters, she noted.
“When systems break down, road users also break down in behaviour. That is when we see fatal outcomes,” she said.
Towards Technology-Driven Solutions
The Authority is pushing for long-term solutions to reduce crashes, including data-driven driver management, registration of transport unions and large corporate fleets, and the rollout of automated enforcement under the revised Road Traffic Regulations.
Mrs. Sateckla explained that technology-led enforcement—such as automatic sanctions for speeding, red-light violations, or overloading—would encourage compliance and save lives.
A National Call to Action
The NRSA stressed that tackling road safety requires a national effort, from government agencies to drivers, passengers, and corporate fleet operators. “We cannot treat these numbers as mere figures. They represent real people. We need a stronger national response to prevent further tragedies,” Mrs. Sateckla said.
As Ghana heads into a high-mobility festive season, the Authority warns that without urgent action and adequate resources, the country risks a continuation of the deadly trend on its roads.
