Abstract:
Ordinarily, the growth of the road transport industry and its relationship with development
should not be antithetical to development, if such growth is in tandem with the adequate
transportation infrastructure services, which are perceived as part of the daily rhythm of
the development process. A reliable transport network is essential to public safety,
economic vitality and the overall quality of life. Unfortunately, the Accra–Kumasi–Tamale
highway, the busiest trans-national corridor in Ghana linking the three Salelian Countries,
is fraught with traffic accidents, albeit at different spatial levels and magnitudes, a situation
which threatens both national development and public health.
Using the systems theory as a theoretical framework, this study investigates the factors
contributing to road traffic accidents on the said corridor. To achieve the set objectives,
data were drawn from a questionnaire survey of 245 respondents and 3 focus group
discussions. This data was complemented with official reports and archival data extract
from Ghana’s Daily Graphic newspaper, between 1980 and 2010.
The results revealed that road traffic accidents normally occurred during the evening peak
rush hours of 16:00–18:00 hours, possibly due to visibility problems. In terms of
contributions, the results showed ineffective institutional arrangements at the district levels
and inadequate financing of road safety activities. Aside the lack of commitment at the
district levels, other human factors such as recklessness of drivers also featured
prominently. The study opines that for effective road safety management such activities
shall be structured and implemented at the regional and district levels instead of the current
broad-based “National Safety Committee” approach.