BY Grace Zigah
The long-running struggle with road safety worsened markedly in 2025, as provisional figures from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) show a significant spike in crashes, injuries and fatalities compared to the previous year.
The data paints a troubling picture of deteriorating safety on the country’s roads, despite years of public education, enforcement campaigns and policy interventions.
Between January and December 2025, a total of 14,743 road traffic crashes were recorded nationwide, leading to the deaths of 2,949 people.
This represents a sharp increase over 2024, when 13,489 crashes and 2,494 deaths were documented.
In absolute terms, 455 more lives were lost in 2025, translating into an 18.2 per cent rise in fatalities, the steepest increase among all road safety indicators for the year.
The NRSA data further shows that the number of crashes rose by 9.3 per cent, underscoring a general upward trend in road traffic incidents.
Alongside this increase was a rise in vehicle involvement. In 2025, 24,938 vehicles were involved in reported crashes, up from 22,975 vehicles in 2024, an 8.5 per cent increase.
This growth reflects the expanding vehicle population on the roads, as well as persistent challenges with driver behaviour, road conditions and enforcement.
Beyond deaths, the human cost of road crashes continued to mount through non-fatal injuries.
Injuries rose from 15,607 cases in 2024 to 16,714 in 2025, marking a 7.1 per cent increase. Health professionals and emergency responders have repeatedly warned that such injuries place sustained pressure on hospitals, ambulance services and families, many of whom face long-term medical and financial burdens.
Pedestrians remained among the most exposed and vulnerable road users.
The NRSA recorded 2,561 pedestrian knockdowns in 2025, up from 2,394 cases in 2024, representing a 7.0 per cent increase. The figures renew long-standing concerns about pedestrian safety, particularly in busy urban centres, market areas and highways where walkways, crossings and traffic calming measures are either inadequate or poorly enforced.
Historically, Ghana has made intermittent progress in reducing road crashes through measures such as speed enforcement, public awareness campaigns and periodic crackdowns on road traffic offences.
However, the 2025 figures suggest that these gains may be slipping, raising questions about enforcement consistency, road infrastructure development and compliance with traffic regulations.
