Motorcycles killed 931 out of 2,276 road crash deaths in 2023

Motorcycles killed 931 people in 2023 from 4,352 reported crashes in 2023  representing  40.9% of the total 2,276 commuters killed during the year.

Commercial vehicles kill 801 travelers

Commercial vehicles killed 801 travelers, representing 35.1% of total deaths from 7,354 crashes.

Private vehicles kill 544 commuters

Crashes involving private vehicles claimed the lives of 544 commuters, which represents 23.9% of 3,627 crashes during the year.

It is alarming that motorcycles, with less occupancy, killed more commuters than commercial and private vehicles, which have higher occupancy.

628 pedestrians killed

Another shocking revelation is that 628 fatalities resulted from 1,931 pedestrian knockdowns.

Pedestrian knockdowns reduced by 4.51% compared to 2,680 from January to December 2022.

In 2022, 2,373 people were killed in road crashes, while 15,690 were injured in 14,960 reported crashes.

Data compiled by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the National Road Safety Commission showed that 1,624 males and 330 females (all above 18 years) were killed. Also, 182 males and 140 females (all below 18 years) perished through the crashes.

In all, 470 females were killed in the crashes, representing 21% of the total deaths, while 1,806 males (79%) perished.

The data further showed that 322 (14%) of the deceased were below 18 years, while 1,954 (86%) were above 18.

Regional breakdown of fatalities

As has been the trend for some time now, the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Eastern regions had the lion’s share of fatalities with 485, 438, and 414 victims each.

They were followed by the Central, Volta, and Western regions with 191, 130, and 120 deaths, while the Bono East and Western-North regions recorded 102 and 83 fatalities respectively.

The Upper East Region recorded 65 deaths, Upper West, 45; Ahafo, 42; Northern, 42, and Bono, 41.

The Savannah, North East, and Oti regions had the least road crash fatalities of 33, 29, and 16 deaths respectively.

15,409 injured

Some 15,409 persons sustained various degrees of injuries through the crashes during the period.

23,998 vehicles involved in 14,135

A total of 14,135 crashes were reported, involving 23,998 vehicles.

The 2023 crashes represented a 5.51% decrease from the 2022 figure of 14,960.

Categorization of Vehicles Involved

In terms of the categorization of vehicles involved in the road crashes in 2023, private cars had the highest proportion of 10,767, representing 45% of the 23,998 vehicles.

Commercial vehicles followed with 8,084, representing 34%, and 5,147 motorcycles, constituting 21%.

Compared with the figures for 2022, commercial vehicles, private vehicles, and motorbikes decreased by 6.5%, 7.8%, and 5.3% respectively.