Pedestrian safety on Ghana’s roads
STOP. LOOK. LISTEN. CROSS. This is taught in all Australian schools from the youngest years. It is replayed in the minds of all every time they attempt to cross the road. You stop, you look both ways for oncoming traffic, you listen for cars in the distance and if it is safe to do so, you cross, all from the safety of a crossing point.
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In Ghana, this statement is superseded with the motion of- just run for your life and hope you don’t get hurt.
Six people lose their lives on Ghana’s roads each day according to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC). Six people lose their lives, six families lose a loved one, six mothers lose their children and six futures are disintegrated in mere seconds each and every day.
Among the most vulnerable are pedestrians, particularly children. Pedestrians make up 43 per cent of the total number of fatalities on Ghana’s roads each year with 31 per cent of being children of school-age and younger, according to the NRSC. Not even children who are trying to make it to school are spared the dangers of Ghana’s roads.
Sunday November 17, 2013 marked the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims co-ordinated by the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organisation (WHO) to sensitise road traffic deaths globally.
The day is designed to raise awareness of the dangers faced by road users globally each and every day. It was adopted by the UN in 2005 and has since been embraced by many organisations worldwide, including the NRSC.
According to WHO, road safety is a public health issue with road deaths currently being the eighth leading cause of death in the world and without further action, will become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.
The WHO 2013 Road Safety Report shows that the highest road traffic fatality rates come from African nations with Nigeria and South Africa among the highest, and Ghana following not too far behind.
Globally, 1.24 million people lost their lives in 2010 from road traffic accidents, the real tragedy though is that, to a large extent, these crashes and the resulting deaths and injuries could have been prevented.
The NRSC believe they have the means to create safer roads but are facing many challenges hindering their success. With 88 countries already showing drastic reductions in the number of deaths on their roads, Ghana certainly has the potential to change as well.
What are the challenges?
One alarming challenge faced by the NRSC is the lack of enforcement and police cooperation in enforcing the law.
“Working with the police and trying to get them to commit to the overall road safety campaign has been a real challenge,” said NRSC spokesperson Kwame Koduah Atuahene.
According to WHO, drivers who wear seat belts is only 18 per cent of the driving population in Ghana, and they rank the enforcement of the law at three out of 10, with 10 being highly enforced and one being never enforced. Although seat belt wearing is a mandatory regulation in Ghana, the deterrence is nonexistent due to lack of enforcement.
Similarly, laws exist to prohibit jaywalking, yet the missing factor that should be deterring pedestrians from crossing roads anywhere they like is the failure of the police to enforce the law. Not to mention the lack of walk ways and pedestrian crossings as this would give pedestrians safer options.
Another challenge faced by the NRSC is the process of gaining long-term commitment from stakeholders and policy makers in prioritising road safety in all new developments such as new infrastructures. “If all new roads were constructed with walkways and crossing points, then the roads would be much safer for pedestrians”, said Mr Atuahene.
Furthermore, the NRSC is challenged by vehicle operators themselves. The National Pedestrian Safety Campaign implemented last year was aimed at drivers who did not see pedestrians as valid road users in order to educate them in safer driving. It is important for all road users to take on a level of responsibility to do the right thing in order for everyone to feel safe on the roads”, said Mr Atuahene.
How does this compare to other countries?
Road safety in Ghana is a developing process and it will take many years for the issue to develop to a point where it is comparable with some of the safest roads in the world.
The NRSC has adopted Sweden as their bench mark for road safety. With a population close to 10 million, Sweden only experienced a road fatality rate of 278 in 2010 and it has continued to decline each year, according to WHO statistics.
To be comparable with Sweden, Ghana’s road fatality rate needs to plunge by 80 per cent, which according to the NRSC, may take up to 20 years to accomplish. Until then, not much else can be done to save the lives lost each day on Ghana’s roads.
Australia, as another good example of road safety, implements a number of strategies that treat awareness and enforcement with equal priority.
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Advertisements on Australian television featuring victims of road crashes and showing confronting images of accidents that have occurred are just one aspect of Australia’s awareness campaign.
Another strategy is an increased presence of police on the roads who are well-trained in the law and provide thorough enforcement. Being exposed without your seat belt, for example, will result in a fine of over AUD 280 dollars (616 GHS Cedi) plus the loss of three demerit points, and once all are lost, you will also lose your license. If a passenger is not wearing their seat belt, not only will the passenger receive a fine, but the driver will as well plus the loss of demerit points.
The law in Ghana regarding seat belts is also quite strict, however, it is only enforced three times out of 10 as opposed to seven times out of 10 in Australia.
Another example of the vast difference in law enforcement between Australia and Ghana is the laws regarding drunk driving. Thirty per cent of Australian road traffic deaths involve alcohol, according to WHO. This percentage is high, considering that police enforcement regarding drunk driving is extensive and the legal alcohol limit is 0.05. Ghana’s legal alcohol limit is 0.08, one of the highest in the world, yet there is no data regarding the number of deaths resulting from drunk driving because it is an aspect that is not monitored. With such a high legal limit, it would be expected that a high number of deaths would involve alcohol in Ghana, yet not much is being done to prevent this unfortunate fate for drivers under the influence of alcohol.
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What are the solutions?
If enforcement is the biggest challenge faced by the NRSC, then the most logical solution would be to start with solving the challenges the that are hindering the police from executing their mandate to the highest standards.
The Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) is there solely to overlook road safety. If this unit was utilised more effectively road safety would become an outdated problem for Ghana.
Although an investigative body exists which mandates the MTTU, it is not completely objective. An independent body which monitors the behaviour of the police should be created in order to keep the police in check. If the police do not provide sufficient enforcement to others, then how can they be trusted to manage themselves?
Another solution would be to have more rigorous screening and training programmes for all new police officers coming into the force and furthermore, regular screening processes for existing police officers to ensure they are upholding the law to the highest standards.
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If this is in fact the only challenge faced by the NRSC, then implementing these simple, yet effective measures should solve the problem of road safety in Ghana.
If managed effectively, funding will not be needed on a crisis that has the potential to be easily mastered, especially when so many other countries worldwide have had success in doing so. In this sense, road safety should not be a public health issue, especially within African nations who are confronted with so many other difficulties. Money should be spent on building hospitals and school, free health care and education and creating jobs. It should not be spent continually on a sector which can be easily fixed with proper screening of the authorities that are hired to enforce the law.
Saving six lives a day is all it will take to ensure safer roads in Ghana. There needs to be trust in Stop. Look. Listen. Drivers need to see pedestrians as valid road users. Drivers, passengers and pedestrians should be able to coincide peacefully on the road.
In commemoration of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, make a conscious decision to drive safely this coming week and give way to pedestrians.
This is dedicated to all road traffic victims in Ghana and the World.