Modelling the trend of road traffic accidents in Accra.

Abstract

Road transportation remains the dominant mode of transporting goods and commuters in Ghana. Over the last couple of decades, the Government of Ghana has aggressively pursued a comprehensive road infrastructural development and maintenance programmes with the aim of improving the entire road network in response to increase in travel and transportation. This is as a result of growth and expansion of economic activity with raised consumption levels of the people. Consequently, this improvement is aimed at reducing the menace and the carnage on roads in the country. Unfortunately, with the increasing road network, the number of fatalities has also been on the rise leading to great concerns for road safety. The purpose of this paper is to come out with a predictive mathematical model on the trend of Road Traffic Accident (RTA) occurrence in Ghana. Descriptive data in the public domain from statutory bodies especially the Motor Traffic and Transport Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service on RTAs together with a host of academic papers on the subject matter were used as sources of information. The result of the sixth order polynomial analysis showed an r-squared value of 0.957 which was statistically significant inferring that the model has a 95.7% accuracy of predicting road traffic accidents in Ghana. It was also evident that road traffic accidents significantly increased with increased stretch of roads (km), absence of road safety officials and the blatant disregard for road safety measures aimed at ensuring safety on the roads. Based on the findings, recommendations were advised on how to reduce the phenomenon of traffic accidents in Ghana particularly in the Greater Accra region.