Data from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has revealed that election years record high cases of deaths through road crashes.
This has been blamed on political party supporters’ blatant disregard for road traffic restrictions during the campaign time.
The NRSA said that the increased fatalities on the roads during the election campaign is also due to speeding and overcrowding of vehicles carrying party supporters.
According to statistics from the Authority, Ghana has recorded higher numbers of road crashes each election year since 2000 with injuries and deaths higher than non-election years.
In 2016, 44 persons were killed in 100 collisions involving 157 vehicles during the December election period, a 15.6% increase over the same period in 2015.
In 2020, 44 people died and 169 were injured in 155 crashes, a 21.9 percent increase over the previous year.
According to the statistics, since 2000, all but one election year has seen an increase in collisions, injuries, and deaths compared to the prior and subsequent years.
In 2004, deaths climbed by 27.4% compared to 2003; in 2008, they declined by 5.1% compared to 2007, and in 2012, they increased by 1.9%.
These were revealed at an event by the NRSA to launch the ‘Road Safety Code of Practice for Political activities’ in Accra on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
The law also requires designated personnel within the party leadership to guarantee that all vehicles are in excellent working order before they are allowed on the road, including ensuring that only professionally competent drivers operate roadworthy vehicles.
As campaign activities heat up in the run-up to the December elections, a strong call is being made for the political parties to mainstream the code of practice in their election campaign strategies to help reduce deaths during this year’s election season.
