- Over 1,000 lives lost on Ghana’s roads in just 4 months.
- Motorcycle crashes and regional spikes reveal deepening danger zones.
- Ashanti, Eastern & Greater Accra now ground zero in Ghana’s road safety crisis.
Every headline about a road accident in Ghana fades within a day or two – a name, a number, a location. Then it’s gone. But behind each of those headlines is a mother who won’t return home, a child who won’t make it to school, a driver who didn’t see the sunrise.
Ghana is staring down a deepening road safety crisis, with new data showing a staggering 22% rise in road traffic fatalities in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Between January and April, the country recorded 4,779 crashes, resulting in 1,011 deaths and 5,591 injuries, according to provisional data from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA). This marks a sharp increase from 829 deaths and 4,955 injuries in 2024, raising alarm among transport officials and the public alike.
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While total reported crashes increased by just 6.1%, the fatality rate outpaced all other indicators, raising questions about the effectiveness of current safety interventions.
What does this mean for you?
The latest road accident statistics reveal a growing national crisis in Ghana. With over 1,000 deaths in just four months, Ghanaians are dying at an alarming daily rate.
The surge in motorcycle crashes, deadly hotspots in regions like Ashanti, Eastern, and Savannah, and weak enforcement all point to a failing road safety system.
These are not just accidents - they reflect deeper issues: poor infrastructure, lack of regulation, and public complacency.
If bold, urgent action isn’t taken, the numbers will keep rising - and so will the body count.
April Proves Deadly
In April alone, 259 people died – a 17.7% jump from April 2024 – that’s nearly 9 deaths a day. Injuries climbed by 15.2%, with 1,304 people hurt in 1,105 reported crashes. Motorcycle-related accidents played a significant role, increasing by 17.3% in April alone.
More and more Ghanaians are turning to okadas and tricycles for daily transport – but without training, regulation, or proper gear, they’re becoming death traps. raising concerns about regulation and enforcement.
Despite these grim figures, pedestrian knockdowns actually fell by 11.7%, offering a sliver of hope. However, over 830 pedestrian knockdowns have been recorded this year so far — a 6.8% rise from 2024.
Crashes by the Numbers
A closer look reveals the deadliest month was February, which claimed 267 lives. Unsurprisingly, adults made up the majority of the dead, with an 89% fatality share, while males accounted for an overwhelming 78% of deaths.
Private vehicles continue to dominate crash data, making up 41% of all vehicles involved, though motorcycle crashes — often more fatal — are rising fast, constituting 26% of crash-involved vehicles.
Regional Crisis Zones
Some regions are experiencing road trauma on a different scale.
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Ashanti Region leads in fatalities (258), followed closely by Eastern Region (223).
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Greater Accra, while recording the highest number of crashes (1,487), had relatively fewer fatalities (120).
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Savannah Region saw a 680% rise in injuries and a 257% surge in deaths, painting a stark picture of a region suddenly engulfed by transport risk.
Contribution of Regions to National Fatality from January to April 2025
In contrast, Northern, Upper East, and Oti regions reported no road deaths in April, but analysts caution that this could reflect underreporting or momentary shifts rather than systemic improvement.
More Crashes, Less Control?
The increase in fatal and serious crashes is evidence of a systemic issue – speeding, poor road rule enforcement, vehicle condition, and pedestrian infrastructure all factor in. Nearly 50% of crashes were categorised as “minor”, but the percentage of fatal crashes remains alarmingly high at 17%.
The Eastern Region’s data is particularly striking: despite having less than half the crashes of Greater Accra, it recorded nearly double the fatality rate per crash – 28 deaths per 100 crashes versus 10 in Greater Accra.
One would argue that this is evidently ingrained in the fact that the majority of the Accra-Kumasi Highway, notorious for road accidents, lies within the Eastern Region, corroborating NRSA’s blunt conclusion: Ashanti, Eastern, and Greater Accra are Ghana’s critical hotspots for crash-induced deaths (CIDs), and require immediate intervention.
In essence, we need more than campaigns and penalties – this requires targeted regional strategies, enforcement upgrades, and community-level behaviour change.
For now, Ghana’s roads remain perilous. As families mourn and hospitals overflow, the nation is once again reminded that every crash statistic is a human story – and each delay in action is a gamble with lives.