Road traffic crashes in Ghana claimed 2,949 lives in 2025, marking a worrying rise compared to the previous year, according to provisional figures from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).

Between January and December 2025, the country recorded 14,743 crashes, up from 13,489 cases in 2024, representing a 9.3 per cent increase.

The growth in crashes was matched by a rise in vehicle involvement, with 24,938 vehicles implicated during the year, compared to 22,975 vehicles in 2024, an 8.5 per cent jump.

The most troubling trend, however, was the spike in fatalities. Deaths from road crashes climbed from 2,494 in 2024 to 2,949 in 2025, meaning 455 additional lives were lost within a year.

This amounts to an 18.2 per cent increase, making fatalities the fastest-rising indicator among all road safety measures for the period.

Injuries also went up, further stretching emergency and health services. The NRSA data shows that 16,714 people were injured in 2025, compared with 15,607 in 2024, reflecting a 7.1 per cent rise.

Pedestrians continued to face heightened risk on Ghana’s roads. The report indicates that 2,561 pedestrians were knocked down in traffic incidents in 2025, an increase from 2,394 cases recorded the year before, representing a 7 per cent growth.

The latest figures renew concerns about road safety enforcement, driver behaviour, and the protection of vulnerable road users, particularly in busy urban corridors and highway communities.