The Effect of Road Traffic Fatality Rate on Road Users in Ghana

Abstract

In this study, we shall consider the annual distribution of the rates of road traffic fatalities per 100 casualties on road users in Ghana. The rate of road traffic fatalities per 100 casualties is called road traffic fatality index. Data on road traffic casualties, fatalities and fatality indices (F. I.) by road users and by regions, from 2010 to 2013, will be used. Using published road traffic accident data from the National Road Safety Commission of Ghana, a two-factor factorial design and analysis of variance of the effect of a road user class with 7 levels of factor and the effect of a geographical region with 10 levels of the factor shall be considered. The interaction between the two factors shall be considered. The result will show that, different road user classes have different effects on the road traffic fatality index and also that, there are significant differences in fatality index rates among the 10 regions of Ghana. We shall also discover that, there is significant interaction between road user class and geographical region. A multiple comparison test, using Fisher’s Least Significance Difference (LSD) method, shall be conducted to determine which pairs of road user fatality index means are significantly different. The study will show that, there are significant differences in road traffic fatality indices (fatality per 100 casualties) among various road users and also in the ten regions of Ghana. The risk of dying in a road traffic accident among pedestrians and cyclists are both significantly higher than those of other road users. The LSD shows that there is no significant difference between fatality indices of pedestrians and cyclists. The risk of dying in a road traffic accident among pedestrians and cyclists are both significantly higher than those of other road users, recording an average rate of 33.9 and 31.78 deaths per 100 casualties, respectively.