During the festive period spanning December 24 to December 26, 2023, and December 31, 2023, to January 1, 2024, a total of 37 lives were tragically lost in road crashes, as reported in the National Road Traffic Crashes and Casualties report.
This represents a 21.28% decrease compared to the 47 deaths recorded during the same period in 2022.
The breakdown reveals that 29 out of the 37 deaths occurred between December 24 to December 26, 2023, while December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024, accounted for eight deaths.
The victims were predominantly male, with 30 males (81%) and seven females (19%) losing their lives. Additionally, 19% of those killed were below 18 years old, while 81% were adults above 18 years.
A total of 236 cases were reported during the period, involving 417 vehicles and 50 pedestrian knockdowns. This signifies a 16.26% increase in reported cases compared to the 2022 Christmas festivities, which recorded 203 cases.
Private vehicles constituted the largest proportion of vehicles involved in crashes (46%), followed by commercial vehicles (31%) and motorcycles (23%).
The Greater Accra Region had the highest number of crashes (83) and reported nine deaths, while the Ashanti Region came second with 66 cases and 15 deaths.
Specific locations in the Greater Accra Region, such as Kaneshie, Kpeshie, Madina, Odorkor, Weija, Baatsona, Ayimensah, and Amanfrom, experienced fatalities during this period.